IRLF 


SB    310    bD7 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 


REMINISCENCES   OF 
A   REBEL 


BY 


THE   REV.  WAYLAND  FULLER  DUNAWAY,   D.D. 

>\ 

Formerly  Captain  of  Co.  I,  4Oth  Va.  Regt., 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia 


"Omnibus  hastes 

Reddite  nos  populis — civile  avertite  be  Hum.'" 

— Luc  an. 


NEW  YORK 
THE  NEALE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


Copyright,  1913,  by 
WAYLAND  FULLER  DUNAWAY 


PREFACE 

Notwithstanding  the  title  of  this  volume,  I 
do  not  admit  that  I  was  ever  in  any  true  sense 
a  rebel,  neither  do  I  intend  any  disrespect 
when  I  call  the  Northern  soldiers  Yankees. 
The  use  of  these  terms  is  only  a  concession  to 
the  appellations  that  were  customary  during 
the  war. 

It  is  my  purpose  to  record  some  recollec 
tions  of  the  Civil  War,  and  incidentally  to 
furnish  some  historical  notices  of  the  brigade 
to  which  I  was  attached.  Here  and  there  I 
have  expressed,  also,  some  opinions  concern 
ing  the  great  events  of  that  dreadful  period, 
some  criticisms  of  the  conduct  of  battles  and 
retreats,  and  some  estimates  of  the  abilities  of 
prominent  generals. 

The  incentive  to  write  is  of  a  complex 
nature.  There  is  a  pleasure,  especially  to  the 
aged,  in  reviving  the  memories  of  the  past 

5 


6  PREFACE 

and  narrating  them  to  attentive  hearers. 
Moreover,  I  hope  that  this  book  will  furnish 
instruction  to  those  who  have  grown  up  since 
the  war,  and  entertainment  to  older  persons 
who  participated  in  its  struggles,  privations, 
and  sorrows.  And  besides,  the  future  his 
torian  of  that  gigantic  conflict  may  perhaps 
find  here  some  original  contribution  to  the 
accumulating  material  upon  which  he  must 
draw.  He  will  need  the  humble  narratives 
of  inconspicuous  participants  as  well  as  the 
pretentious  attempts  of  the  partial  historians 
who  have  preceded  him.  The  river  flows 
into  the  sea,  but  the  river  itself  is  supplied  by 
creeks  and  rivulets  and  springs. 

W.  F.  D. 


REMINISCENCES   OF   A 
REBEL 

CHAPTER  I 

"Lay  down  the  axe;  fling  by  the  spade; 

Leave  in  its  track  the  toiling  plow; 
The  rifle  and  the  bayonet-blade 

For  arms  like  yours  were  fitter  now; 
And  let  the  hands  that  ply  the  pen 

Quit  the  light  task,   and  learn  to  wield 
The  horseman's  crooked  brand,  and  rein 
The  charger  on  the  battle  field." 

— BRYANT. 

IN  the  fall  of  the  year  1860,  when  I  was 
in   my  nineteenth  year,   I   boarded  the 
steamboat  Virginia, — the  only  one  then 
running   on   the   Rappahannock   river, — and 
went  to  Fredericksburg  on  my  way  to  the 
University  of  Virginia.     It  was  my  expecta 
tion  to  spend  two  sessions  in  the  classes  of  the 
professors  of  law,  John  B.  Minor  and  James 


8       REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

P.  Holcombe,  and  then,  having  been  grad 
uated,  to  follow  that  profession  in  Lancaster, 
my  native  county. 

The  political  sky  had  assumed  a  threaten 
ing  aspect.  The  minds  of  the  Southern  peo 
ple  had  been  inflamed  by  the  insurrectionary 
raid  of  John  Brown  upon  Harper's  Ferry, 
especially  because  it  had  been  approved  by 
some  Northern  officials,  and  because  the  sur 
render  of  some  fugitives  from  justice,  who 
had  taken  part  in  that  murderous  adventure, 
had  been  refused  by  Ohio  and  Iowa.  The 
election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  added  fuel  to 
the  flame.  Having  been  nominated  by  the 
Republican  party,  he  was  constitutionally 
chosen  President  of  the  United  States,  al 
though  he  had  not  received  a  majority  of  the 
popular  vote.  The  election  was  ominous, 
because  it  was  sectional,  Mr.  Lincoln  having 
carried  all  the  Northern  states  but  not  one  of 
the  Southern.  The  intensest  excitement  pre 
vailed,  while  passion  blew  the  gale  and  held 
the  rudder  too. 

While  I  believed  in  the  right  of  secession 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL       9 

I  deprecated  the  exercise  of  that  right,  be 
cause  I  loved  the  Union  and  the  flag  under 
which  my  ancestors  had  enjoyed  the  blessings 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  I  did  not  think 
that  Lincoln's  election  was  a  sufficient  cause 
for  dissolving  the  Union,  for  he  had  an 
nounced  no  evil  designs  concerning  Southern 
institutions;  and,  even  if  he  had,  he  was 
powerless  to  put  them  into  execution.  He 
could  have  done  nothing  without  the  consent 
of  Congress,  and  his  party  was  in  a  minority 
both  in  the  Senate  and  in  the  House  of  Repre 
sentatives. 

Before  Christmas  South  Carolina,  not  car 
ing  for  consequences  and  blind  to  the  horrible 
future,  passed  an  ordinance  of  secession;  and 
her  example  was  followed  in  quick  succession 
by  Mississippi,  Florida,  Alabama,  Georgia, 
Louisiana,  and  Texas.  These  seven  states 
organized  the  Southern  Confederacy,  of 
which  Jefferson  Davis  was  inaugurated  Presi 
dent,  February  18,  1861.  In  April  Fort 
Sumter  was  captured,  and  on  the  i^th  of  that 
month  President  Lincoln  issued  a  proclama- 


io     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

tion  calling  on  the  remaining  states  to  furnish 
their  quotas  of  an  army  of  seventy-five  thou 
sand  soldiers  for  the  purpose  of  destroying 
the  Confederate  government.  Two  days  later 
the  Virginia  convention  passed  an  ordinance 
of  secession.  Being  compelled  to  take  sides, 
the  Old  Dominion  naturally  cast  her  lot  with 
her  Southern  sisters.  War  had  begun, — in 
testine  war,  of  whose  magnitude  and  duration 
no  living  man  had  any  adequate  conception. 

These  events  conspired  with  other  causes  to 
infuse  in  me  a  martial  spirit.  The  convic 
tion  was  growing  in  me  that,  as  my  native 
state  was  about  to  be  invaded,  I  must  have  a 
place  in  the  ranks  of  her  defenders.  I  was 
influenced  by  speeches  delivered  by  Governor 
Floyd,  Professor  Holcombe,  and  Dr.  Bledsoe, 
and  still  more  by  the  contagious  example  of 
my  roommate,  William  H.  Chapman,  who 
had  gone  with  a  company  of  students  to 
Harper's  Ferry,  and  had  returned.  What 
brought  the  conviction  to  a  head  was  a  flag. 
One  morning  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  as  I 
was  walking  from  my  boarding-house  to  the 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     n 

University  I  saw  a  Confederate  banner  float 
ing  above  the  rotunda.  Some  of  the  students 
during  the  night,  surmounting  difficulty  and 
braving  danger,  had  clambered  to  the  summit 
and  erected  there  the  symbol  of  a  new  nation. 
I  was  thrilled  by  the  sight  of  it  as  if  by  an 
electric  shock.  There  it  was,  outstretched  by 
a  bracing  northwest  wind,  flapping  defiantly, 
arousing  patriotic  emotion.  Unable  longer 
to  refrain,  I  went  as  soon  as  the  lecture  was 
concluded  to  Professor  Minor's  residence  and 
told  him  I  was  going  to  enter  the  military 
service  of  Virginia.  He  sought  to  dissuade 
me,  but,  perceiving  that  he  could  not  alter  my 
rash  decision,  he  gave  at  my  request  a  written 
permission  to  leave  his  classes. 

But  how  to  get  home? — that  had  become  a 
perplexing  question.  I  could  not  go  the  way 
I  had  come,  because  the  Virginia  fearful  of 
capture  had  ceased  to  make  trips  from  Fred- 
ericksburg  to  Lancaster,  and  there  was  no 
railroad  to  that  part  of  the  state.  Knowing 
that  my  uncle,  Addison  Hall,  was  a  member 
of  the  Convention,  I  determined  to  take  a 


12     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

train  to  Richmond  and  seek  his  advice.  I 
felt  relieved  when  he  informed  me  that  he 
was  going  the  next  morning,  and  that  I  could 
go  along  with  him.  We  took  an  early  train 
to  West  Point,  and  being  ferried  across  the 
Mattaponi  river,  obtained  from  one  of  his 
friends  a  conveyance  to  Urbanna.  We  hired 
a  sloop  to  take  us  to  Carter's  creek,  and  thence 
we  proceeded  in  a  farm  wagon  to  his  home  in 
the  village  of  Kilmarnock.  The  next  morn 
ing  he  sent  me  to  the  home  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  S.  Dunaway,  my  brother,  and  my 
guardian. 

In  a  few  days  I  enlisted  in  a  company  that 
was  being  raised  by  Captain  Samuel  P.  Gres- 
ham,  who  had  been  a  student  at  the  Virginia 
Military  Institute.  And  thus  the  student's 
gown  was  exchanged  for  the  soldier's  uniform. 

Before  we  were  regularly  mustered  into 
service  an  expedition  was  undertaken  that 
indicated  at  once  the  forwardness  of  our  peo 
ple  to  engage  the  enemy  and  their  ignorance 
of  military  affairs.  The  report  having  been 
circulated  that  a  Federal  gunboat  was  lying 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     13 

in  Mill  Creek  in  Northumberland  county,  its 
capture,  or  destruction,  was  resolved  upon  by 
about  a  hundred  men,  who  had  assembled 
at  the  county  seat  of  Lancaster.  With  no 
weapons  except  an  old  smooth-bore  six-pound 
cannon,  and  that  loaded  with  scrap  iron  gath 
ered  from  a  blacksmith's  shop,  we  proceeded 
to  Mill  Creek  and  unlimbered  on  the  bank  in 
plain  view  of  the  boat,  and  distant  from  it 
some  two  or  three  hundred  yards.  I  have 
always  been  glad  that  we  had  sense  enough  to 
refrain  from  shooting,  for  otherwise  most  of 
us  would  have  been  killed  then  and  there. 
Seeing  the  hopelessness  of  an  unequal  combat, 
we  retired  from  the  scene  somewhat  wiser 
than  when  we  went.  In  that  instance  was  not 
"discretion  the  better  part  of  valor"? 


CHAPTER  II 

War,  war  is  still  the  cry,  "War  to  the  knife." 

—BYRON. 

THERE  was  in  the  central  part  of  the 
county  a  beautiful  grove  in  which 
the  Methodists  were  accustomed  to 
hold  their  annual  camp-meetings.  On  ac 
count  of  its  location  and  the  shelter  afforded 
by  its  tents  it  was  in  1861  transformed  into 
a  rendezvous  of  a  radically  different  nature, 
the  military  companies  that  had  been  raised 
in  the  county  assembling  there  preparatory  to 
going  into  the  army.  It  was  there  that  Cap 
tain  GreshanVs  company,  known  as  the  Lacy 
Rifles,  was  formally  enrolled  by  Col.  R.  A. 
Claybrook  and  Dr.  James  Simmonds.  When 
they  came  to  where  I  stood  in  the  line  of  men 
they  declined  to  enlist  me  because  I  appeared 
pale  and  weak  on  account  of  recent  sickness. 
I  said,  "Do  as  you  like,  gentlemen,  but  I  am 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     15 

going  with  the  boys  anyhow."     "If  you  talk 
like  that,"  they  replied,  "we  will  insert  your 


name." 


Not  many  days  afterward  the  company  as 
sembled  at  the  court-house,  and,  having  sworn 
allegiance  to  the  Southern  Confederacy,  was 
duly  mustered  into  its  service.  In  vehicles  of 
all  sorts  we  drove  to  Monaskon  wharf,  where 
the  schooner  Extra  was  moored  to  receive  us 
and  to  convey  us  up  the  Rappahannock  river. 
As  the  vessel  glided  along  what  a  jolly  set  we 
were! — gay  as  larks,  merry  as  crickets,  play 
ful  as  kittens.  There  was  singing,  dancing, 
feasting  on  the  palatable  provisions  supplied 
by  the  loving  friends  we  were  leaving,  with 
no  thought  of  captivity,  wounds,  nor  death. 
Ignorant  of  war,  we  were  advancing  toward 
its  devouring  jaws  with  such  conduct  as  be 
came  an  excursion  of  pleasure.  The  only 
arms  we  then  possessed  were  two-edged  dag 
gers  made  of  rasps  in  blacksmith  shops,  and 
with  these  we  were  going  to  hew  our  way  to 
victory  through  the  serried  ranks  of  the  in 
vading  army!  Ah,  well !  we  knew  better  what 


16     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

war  was  after  we  had  become  the  seasoned 
veterans  of  many  campaigns. 

When  the  vessel  had  proceeded  up  the  river 
as  far  as  Fort  Lowry  it  rounded  to,  because  a 
solid  shot  ricochetted  before  the  bow,  and  we 
were  transferred  to  the  steamboat  Virginia, 
which  carried  us  to  Fredericksburg.  Pass 
ing  along  the  streets,  attracting  attention  by 
our  neat  gray  uniforms,  we  marched  out  to 
the  fair-grounds,  and  rejoiced  to  obtain  the 
friendly  shelter  of  the  cattle  stalls.  They 
were  not  as  comfortable  as  the  chambers  of 
our  homes — but  what  of  it?  Were  we  not 
soldiers  now?  It  is  wonderful  and  blessed 
how  human  nature  can  accommodate  itself  to 
altered  environments. 

We  were  supplied  with  smoothbore,  muz 
zle-loading,  Springfield  muskets,  small  leather 
boxes  for  percussion  caps,  and  larger  ones 
for  cartridges.  For  the  information  of  the 
present  generation  let  it  be  explained  that 
the  cartridge  was  made  of  tough  paper  con 
taining  powder  in  one  end  and  the  ounce  ball 
of  lead  in  the  other;  and  the  manner  of  load- 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     17 

ing  was  this :  the  soldier  tore  off  with  his  teeth 
the  end,  poured  the  powder  into  the  muzzle, 
and  then  rammed  down  the  ball;  this  being 
done,  a  cap  was  placed  on  the  nipple  of  the 
breech,  and  the  gun  was  ready  to  be  fired. 
That  musket  is  antiquated  now,  but  it  did 
much  execution  in  former  days. 

Maj.  J.  H.  Lacy,  for  whom  the  company 
was  named,  presented  an  elegant  silk  banner, 
which  at  Captain  Gresham's  request  I  re 
ceived  in  the  best  language  at  my  command. 
It  was  never  borne  in  battle,  for  it  was  not 
companies  but  regiments  that  carried  banners. 
There  was  but  one  flag  to  a  regiment,  and  that 
was  always  carried  in  the  center.  Twice  a 
day  there  was  a  course  of  drilling  in  tactical 
evolutions  and  in  the  handling  of  the  muskets. 
At  first  I  was  hardly  strong  enough  to  sustain 
the  fatigue,  but  I  rapidly  grew  stronger  under 
the  combined  influence  of  exercise,  sleeping 
in  the  open  air,  and  the  excitement  of  a  mili 
tary  life.  The  war  did  me  harm  in  many 
ways,  but  it  was  the  means  of  increasing  my 
capacity  for  bodily  exertion.  During  the 


i8     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

encampment  at  Fredericksburg  many  of  my 
spare  moments  were  spent  in  reading  the  New 
Testament  and  Pollok's  "Course  of  Time." 

We  did  not  long  remain  in  Fredericksburg; 
but  being  transported  on  cars  to  Brooke  Sta 
tion  we  marched  up  to  camp  Chappawamsic, 
near  a  Baptist  church  of  that  name.  There 
the  Lacy  Rifles  became  Company  F  in  the 
47th  regiment  of  Virginia  Volunteers,  com 
manded  by  Col.  G.  W.  Richardson  of  Henrico 
county,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  Vir 
ginia  Convention  that  passed  the  ordinance  of 
secession.  He  was  a  brave  and  patriotic 
gentleman,  but  unskilled  in  military  affairs; 
and  he  did  not  long  retain  the  command. 

From  the  summer  of  1861  until  the  spring 
of  1862  we  spent  the  time  in  company  and 
regimental  drill,  and  in  picketing  the  shore 
of  the  Potomac  river  day  and  night,  lest  the 
enemy  should  effect  a  landing  and  take  us 
unaware.  During  that  time  no  shots  were 
exchanged  with  the  enemy,  because  no  land 
ing  was  attempted.  The  only  fighting  that 
we  saw  was  at  Dumfries  where  there  was  a 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     19 

Confederate  fort,  to  which  we  marched  to  act 
as  a  support  in  case  the  Yankees  came  ashore. 
Three  vessels  of  the  Federal  navy  passed 
slowly  down  the  river,  between  which  and  the 
fort  there  was  a  brief  but  lively  cannonade; 
but  so  far  as  I  know  there  was  no  resulting 
damage  to  either  side. 

On  Sunday,  July  21,  we  heard  the  boom 
ing  of  the  cannon  at  Bull  Run,  lamenting  that 
we  had  no  part  in  the  battle.  When  we  after 
ward  heard  how  McDowell's  army  skedad 
dled  back  to  Washington  more  rapidly  than 
they  came,  we  thought  that  the  war  would  end 
without  our  firing  a  gun.  So  little  did  we 
understand  the  firmness  of  President  Lin 
coln's  mind  and  the  settled  purpose  of  the 
North! 

The  winter  was  spent  in  comparative  com 
fort,  for  we  moved  out  of  tents  into  cabins 
built  of  pine  logs,  each  one  having  a  wide 
arch  and  a  chimney.  At  Christmas  some 
good  things  were  sent  to  me,  among  which 
was  a  dressed  turkey,  which  I  did  not  know 
how  to  prepare  for  the  table,  for  even  if  I 


20     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

had  possessed  some  knowledge  of  the  culi 
nary  art  there  was  no  suitable  oven.  For 
tunately  a  comrade  by  the  name  of  John 
Cook, — an  appropriate  name  for  that  occa 
sion, — came  to  my  relief  and  solved  the  prob 
lem  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner.  The  bird 
was  suspended  by  a  string  before  the  open 
fire,  and  being  continually  turned  right  and 
left,  and  basted  with  grease  from  a  plate  be 
neath,  it  was  beautifully  browned  and  cooked 
to  a  turn. 


CHAPTER  III 

Drummer,  strike  up,  and  let  us  march  away. 

— SHAKESPEARE'S  Henry  VI. 

IN  the  spring  of  1862  Gen.  George  B. 
McClellan  with  an  army  of  120,000 
men,  thoroughly  drilled  and  lavishly 
equipped,  set  out  from  Washington  to  cap 
ture  Richmond  from  the  north;  but  he  had 
not  proceeded  far  before  he  changed  his  mind 
about  the  line  of  advance.  His  forces  were 
transported  to  Fortress  Monroe  with  the 
design  of  approaching  the  city  by  the  way  of 
the  peninsula  that  lies  between  the  York  and 
the  James  rivers.  The  correctness  of  his 
judgment  was  justified  by  subsequent  cam 
paigns;  for  the  successive  attempts  of  Pope, 
Burnside,  Hooker,  and  Grant  to  take  the  Con 
federate  capital  from  the  north  were  all 
disastrous  failures. 

In  order  to  check  the  upward  progress  of 


21 


22     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

McClellan's  army,  Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston 
withdrew  his  forces  from  Manassas  and  the 
shore  of  the  Potomac  and  concentrated  them 
on  the  Peninsula.  The  47th  regiment 
marched  from  its  winter  quarters  to  Rich 
mond,  and  was  thence  transported  down  the 
James  to  a  wharf  not  far  from  Yorktown. 
During  our  brief  stay  in  that  vicinity,  the 
companies  were  authorized  to  elect  their  offi 
cers;  and  I,  who  had  been  acting  as  Orderly 
Sergeant,  was  chosen  Third  Lieutenant. 

As  the  National  army  advanced,  the  Con 
federates  fell  back  toward  Richmond.  Our 
regiment  was  not  in  the  engagement  that  took 
place  near  Williamsburg  on  the  5th  of  May, 
but  I  saw  then  for  the  first  time  some  wounded 
men  and  prisoners.  The  retreat  was  con 
ducted  somewhat  rapidly,  but  in  an  orderly 
and  skilful  manner.  I  do  not  remember  that 
we  marched  in  darkness  but  once,  and  then 
we  trudged  all  night  long  through  shoe-deep 
mud.  At  times  when  the  men  in  front  en 
countered  an  unusually  bad  place  those  who 
were  behind  were  compelled  to  come  to  a 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     23 

temporary  halt.  If  I  did  not  sleep  while 
walking  along  I  came  as  near  to  it  as  weary 
mortal  ever  did,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  dozed 
while  standing  still. 

General  Johnston  posted  his  army  between 
Richmond  and  the  Chickahominy  river,  the 
47th  regiment  being  on  the  left,  not  far  from 
Meadow  bridge,  and  in  the  pestilential  low- 
grounds  of  that  sluggish  stream.  Swarms  of 
mosquitoes  attacked  us  at  night  and  with  their 
hypodermic  proboscides  injected  poisonous 
malaria  in  our  veins,  to  avoid  which  the  sleep 
ing  soldier  covered  his  head  with  a  blanket. 
The  complexion  of  the  men  became  sallow, 
and  every  day  numbers  of  them  were  put  on 
the  sick-list  by  the  surgeons. 

The  47th  regiment,  commanded  by  Col. 
Robert  M.  Mayo,  and  having  brigade  con 
nection  with  some  regiments  from  North 
Carolina,  had  its  first  experience  of  real  war 
in  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines  (or  Fair  Oaks), 
which  was  fought  on  the  3ist  of  May.  On 
that  day  General  Johnston  attacked  the  left 
wing  of  the  Federal  army,  which  had  been 


24     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

thrown  across  to  the  southern  side  of  the 
Chickahominy.  To  some  persons  the  decla 
ration  may  seem  surprising,  but  it  was  with 
real  pleasure  that  I  went  into  the  battle.  It 
was  the  novelty  of  it,  I  suppose,  that  pre 
vented  me  from  being  frightened  by  explod 
ing  shells  and  rattling  musketry.  The  dread 
of  these  things  came  afterward  when  I  saw 
fields  scattered  over  with  the  wounded,  the 
dying,  and  the  dead,  and  among  them  some 
of  my  dearest  friends.  In  that  affair  our 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  John  M.  Lyell,  was 
seriously  wounded,  and  the  regiment  sus 
tained  a  loss  of  about  fifty  men.  Our  chap 
lain,  Mr.  Meredith,  of  Stafford  county,  went 
into  action  with  us,  but  while  he  did  not  do 
the  like  again,  it  is  no  impeachment  of  his 
courage.  His  duty  lay  in  other  directions; 
and  it  ought  to  be  recorded  in  his  praise  that 
after  every  battle  he  might  be  found  doing 
all  he  could  to  relieve  and  comfort  the 
wounded. 


CHAPTER  IV 

In  peace  there's  nothing  so  becomes  a  man 
As  modest  stillness,  and  humility; 
But  when  the  blast  of  war  blows  in  our  ears, 
Then  imitate  the  action  of  the  tiger; 
Stiffen  the  sinews,  summon  up  the  blood. 

— SHAKESPEARE'S  Henry  V. 

AFTER  the  undecisive  battle  of  Seven 
Pines  the  47th  regiment  together  with 
the  4Oth  and  the  55th  Virginia  regi 
ments  and  the  aznd  Virginia  battalion  was 
formed  into  a  brigade,  and  this  combina 
tion  continued  until  the  close  of  the  war.  It 
was  known  as  the  First  Brigade  of  the  Light 
Division,  which  was  composed  of  six  brigades, 
and  commanded  by  Maj.-Gen.  A.  P.  Hill. 
Why  it  was  called  the  Light  division  I  did 
not  learn;  but  I  know  that  the  name  was  ap 
plicable,  for  we  often  marched  without  coats, 
blankets,  knapsacks,  or  any  other  burdens  ex- 

25 


26     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

cept  our  arms  and  haversacks,  which  were 
never  heavy  and  sometimes  empty. 

On  Thursday,  June  26,  the  memorable  but 
miss-called  "battles  around  Richmond"  began. 
Being  on  the  left  of  the  army,  the  First 
Brigade  had  the  honor  and  the  danger  of 
being  the  first  to  cross  the  Chickahominy. 
Passing  over  Meadow  bridge,  we  dispersed 
the  enemy's  outpost,  only  one  man  being 
wounded  in  the  passage,  and  hurried  on  to 
wards  Mechanicsville  and  Beaver  Dam, 
where  was  posted  the  extreme  right  of  the 
Federal  army.  The  contest  raged  for  six 
hours.  We  failed  to  dislodge  the  enemy 
from  its  naturally  strong  and  well-fortified 
position  across  Beaver  Dam  creek,  and  our 
loss  was  heavy, — heavier  in  some  other 
brigades  than  in  ours.  The  following  morn 
ing,  discovering  that  our  antagonists  had 
withdrawn,  we  crossed  over  Beaver  Dam  in 
pursuit. 

McClellan  had  decided  to  retreat!  He 
called  it  a  change  of  base;  but  if  a  change  of 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     27 

base  from  the  York  to  the  James  river  was 
good  strategy,  why  did  he  not  do  it  before  he 
was  attacked?  It  looks  very  much  as  if  he 
gave  "a  reason  upon  compulsion."  It  must 
be  conceded  that  he  managed  the  retreat  with 
admirable  ability,  although,  while  inflicting 
severe  punishment  upon  Lee's  army,  it  in 
volved  the  loss  of  10,000  prisoners,  52  pieces 
of  artillery  and  35,000  stand  of  small  arms, 
besides  immense  stores  of  ammunition  and 
provisions.  But  why  retreat?  Was  it  for 
this  that  he  had  led  to  the  gates  of  Richmond 
a  grand  army  of  brave  and  disciplined  men, 
at  an  enormous  cost  to  his  government? 
Having  many  qualities  of  a  great  commander, 
he  lacked  the  gaudium  certaminis  and  the 
daring  that  assumes  the  hazard  of  defeat. 
In  war  the  adage  holds  good  with  emphasis : 
"Nothing  venture,  nothing  gain."  The  cele 
brated  generals  of  all  times,  confiding  in  their 
own  skill  and  the  bravery  of  their  soldiers, 
have  been  bold  even  to  the  degree  of  seeming 
rashness.  Such  was  the  spirit  and  conduct  of 


28     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

Lee  when  with  half  the  numbers  he  assaulted 
Hooker,  and  afterward  Grant,  in  the  Wilder 
ness. 

McClellan's  army  being  astraddle  the 
Chickahominy,  two  courses  of  action  were 
open  to  him  when  he  was  attacked. 

He  might  have  concentrated  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  leaving  a  sufficient  force  to 
guard  the  bridges  in  his  rear,  and  then  as 
sumed  a  strong  defensive  position.  Having 
abandoned  Beaver  Dam  he  withdrew  to 
Games'  Mill, —  a  place  most  favorable  for 
defense, — still  having  60,000  men  in  striking 
distance  across  the  river.  If  instead  of  vacat 
ing  that  position,  or  suffering  a  portion  of  his 
army  to  be  driven  from  it,  he  had  reenforced 
it  by  a  half  of  those  unoccupied  60,000  men, 
I  do  not  believe  he  could  have  been  dislodged 
by  all  the  valor  and  dash  of  the  Confederate 
army. 

The  other  line  of  action  that  he  might  have 
chosen  was  to  concentrate  on  the  southern  side 
of  the  river,  destroy  the  bridges,  and  then 
crushing  the  small  army  of  Magruder,  make 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     29 

a  quick  attack  upon  Richmond,  while  the 
forces  of  Lee  and  Jackson  were  on  the  other 
side.  It  seems  to  me  that  either  course  would 
have  been  better  and  nobler  than  the  in 
glorious  retreat  to  Harrison's  Landing.  It 
appeared  that  Lee  was  gaining  victory  after 
victory;  but  until  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill 
he  was  fighting  only  portions  of  McClellan's 
forces.  In  that  engagement  alone  did  the 
Union  army  contend  with  its  undivided 
strength,  and  there  it  gained  a  victory.  If  it 
could  hold  its  ground  there  after  having  suf 
fered  many  losses,  could  it  not  much  better 
have  repulsed  the  Confederates  at  Games' 
Mill? 

When  the  First  Brigade  advanced  to  the 
charge  at  Games'  Mill,  on  the  ayth  of  June, 
it  emerged  out  of  a  wood  into  a  large  field, 
which  declined  toward  a  ravine  through 
which  a  stream  of  water  ran,  and  on  the  other 
side  of  which  the  ground  rose  somewhat  pre 
cipitously  to  a  considerable  altitude.  It  had 
been  wisely  chosen  for  defense,  and  the  oppo 
site  high  ground  was  lined  with  infantry  and 


30     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

crowned  with  batteries.  As  it  was  impossible 
to  dislodge  the  enemy  until  some  diversion 
should  be  created  on  one  of  his  flanks,  our 
men  lay  prone  upon  the  ground,  while  bullets 
and  shells  hurtled  among  us  and  above  us. 
At  length  seeing  a  brigade  on  our  left  rapidly 
advancing  where  the  enemy's  position  was 
less  formidable,  we  rose  up  and,  with  the  in 
spiring  "rebel  yell,"  ran  down  the  slope, 
crossed  the  little  creek,  clambered  up  the  hill, 
and  poured  a  volley  into  the  retiring  Yankees, 
some  of  whom  were  Duryea's  Zouaves  with 
their  flaming  uniforms.  It  was  then  that  we 
more  than  repaid  them  for  the  loss  they  had 
inflicted  upon  us.  On  that  day  there  fell 
some  of  my  dearest  friends,  among  whom  was 
St.  John  F.  Moody,  who  for  three  years  had 
been  my  teacher,  and  afterward  became  my 
beloved  companion.  So  patriotic  and  brave 
was  he  that  if  "Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patrla 
mori"  ever  was  true  of  any  hero  it  was  of  him. 
The  next  battle  in  which  the  brigade  took 
part  was  that  of  Frazier's  Farm,  three  days 
later.  As  we  entered  a  field  we  saw  before 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     31 

us  a  battery  (which  I  believe  was  RandeH's) 
supported  by  a  firm  line  of  infantry.  In 
Wilson's  history  of  the  war  he  says:  "One 
of  the  most  brilliant  charges  of  the  day  was 
made  by  the  55th  and  the  6oth  Virginia." 
The  correct  statement  is  that  it  was  made  by 
our  brigade  composed,  as  has  been  said,  of 
the  40th,  the  47th,  the  55th,  and  the  22d  Vir 
ginia.  We  rushed  across  the  field,  drove 
away  the  opposing  infantry,  and  captured  the 
battery.  One  of  the  gunners  lying  on  the 
ground  badly  wounded  jerked  the  lanyard  of 
a  loaded  cannon  just  as  we  had  almost  reached 
the  battery.  Happily  for  us  the  discharge 
flew  over  our  heads.  He  knew  that  he  was  in 
our  power,  for  all  his  comrades  were  fleeing 
away,  and  he  had  no  right  to  fire  upon  us. 
The  deed  was  more  like  vengeful  murder 
than  honorable  war;  however,  we  did  him  no 
harm,  for  though  his  spirit  was  spiteful  his 
pluck  was  commendable. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon;  and  as  we 
stood  in  line  by  the  captured  guns,  ready  to 
receive  an  expected  countercharge,  a  lone 


32     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

horseman  approached  who  proved  to  be  Ma 
jor-General  McCall,  who  in  the  fading  twi 
light  had  mistaken  us  for  his  own  men. 
Hearing  numerous  cries  to  halt  and  seeing 
many  muskets  leveled  at  him,  he  dismounted 
and  led  his  horse  to  where  we  stood.  Being 
conducted  before  Colonel  Mayo,  he  said, 
"For  God's  sake,  Colonel,  don't  let  your  men 
do  me  any  harm."  Colonel  Mayo  was  so 
indignant  at  the  implied  accusation  that  he 
used  some  cuss  words,  and  asked  him  whether 
he  thought  we  were  a  set  of  barbarians.  If 
he  had  been  captured  in  battle,  I  should  have 
been  glad;  but,  as  it  was,  I  felt  sorry  for  him, 
and  if  I  could  have  had  the  disposal  of  him 
I  would  have  paroled  him  and  turned  him 
loose. 

The  First  Brigade  did  not  again  come 
under  fire  until  we  reached  Malvern  Hill, 
the  ist  of  July.  There  McClellan  had  skil 
fully  stationed  his  entire  army,  and  all  the 
valorous  efforts  of  Lee's  army  to  storm  the 
position  were  unavailing.  One  of  our  men 
addressed  a  North  Carolina  regiment  as 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     33 

"Tarheels"  and  received  for  answer,  "If  you 
had  had  some  tar  on  your  heels,  you  would 
have  stuck  to  that  battery  better  than  you 
did." 

McClellan,  having  for  six  days  acted  on  the 
defensive,  and  in  the  last  engagement  having 
been  virtually  victorious,  had  an  opportunity 
to  assume  the  offensive;  for  in  war  as  in  the 
game  of  chess  an  unsuccessful  attack  invites 
defeat.  On  the  2d  of  July,  if  he  had  in 
spirited  his  regiments  with  the  cry  of  "On  to 
Richmond"  and  attacked  the  Confederates 
unprepared  for  so  surprising  a  reversal,  who 
can  tell  what  might  have  been  the  result? 
Was  it  not  worth  the  trial?  And  if  he  had 
failed,  could  he  not  then  have  fallen  back  to 
the  cover  of  the  gunboats?  But  he  was  bent 
on  going  to  Harrison's  Landing,  and  thither 
his  army  retreated  all  night  over  a  muddy 
road.  Thus  ended  the  second  attempt  to  cap 
ture  the  Confederate  capital. 


CHAPTER  V 

When  Greeks  joined  Greeks,  then  was  the  tug  of  war. 

— NATHANIEL  LEE. 

AFTER  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  the 
First  Brigade  had  a  brief  and  enjoy 
able  respite  from  marching  and  fight 
ing,  while  it  bivouacked  in  the  pine  forest 
near  Savage  Station. 

Gen.  John  Pope,  with  his  "headquarters  in 
the  saddle,"  set  out  from  Washington  with  a 
numerous  force  to  capture  Richmond,  and 
was  reenforced  by  the  remains  of  McClellan's 
army  that  had  been  transported  from  Harri 
son's  Landing  to  Acquia  creek.  Jackson's 
corps,  of  which  Hill's  Light  Division  was  an 
important  part,  was  dispatched  to  watch  his 
movements  and  to  check  his  progress.  From 
the  flat  lands  of  the  James  and  the  Chicka- 
hominy  we  marched  to  the  hill  country,  and 

34 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     35 

for  a  few  days  remained  near  Orange  Court 
House.  On  the  9th  of  August  we  forded  the 
Rapidan  in  search  of  the  enemy.  A  suffocat 
ing  cloud  of  dust  enveloped  our  toiling  host, 
and  so  intense  was  the  heat  that  a  few  of  the 
men  fell  sunstruck  in  the  road.  During  this 
march,  as  also  on  similar  occasions,  I  saw 
packs  of  cards  scattered  along  the  highway; 
for  though  the  soldier  might  play  them  for 
money  or  amusement  when  there  was  no  pros 
pect  of  an  engagement,  he  did  not  relish  the 
thought  of  their  being  found  upon  him  if  he 
should  be  killed.  In  the  afternoon  we  en 
countered  a  portion  of  the  National  army 
under  the  command  of  General  Banks  and 
fought  the  battle  of  Cedar  Run,  in  which  our 
people  were  victorious.  That  night  the  hos 
tile  lines  were  so  close  that  we  could  hear  the 
Yankees  talking,  but  could  not  distinguish  the 
words.  When  daylight  came  they  were  far 
away. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  month  Pope's 
army  occupied  a  position  near  Warrenton  in 
Fanquier  county,  while  across  the  North  Fork 


36     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

of  the  Rappahannock  river  he  was  confronted 
by  Lee's  united  army  in  Culpeper. 

To  cross  the  river  and  force  the  Federal 
position  by  a  front  attack  was  plainly  im 
practicable;  but  in  some  way  the  Yankees 
must  be  removed  and  compelled  to  fight  on 
something  like  equal  terms.  The  plan  was 
formed  that  Jackson  with  his  corps  should 
by  a  forced  circuitous  march  obtain  the 
enemy's  rear  and  thus,  cutting  the  line  of  his 
communication,  compel  him  to  retire  from  his 
advantageous  location,  and  that  Lee  with 
Longstreet's  corp  should  rejoin  Jackson  and 
bring  on  an  engagement  with  his  entire  army. 
To  some  military  critics  this  division  of  the 
army  in  the  face  of  an  unchastised  antagonist 
might  seem  to  contradict  the  rules  of  sound 
strategy,  but  in  the  fertile  minds  of  Lee  and 
Jackson  it  was  the  dictate  of  consummate 
genius.  Such  a  division  occurred  in  Mary 
land,  just  before  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg,  and 
again  at  Chancellorsville  the  following  year, 
and  each  time  it  was  advantageous  to  the  Con 
federate  arms.  These  two  men  had  the  ut- 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     37 

most  confidence  in  each  other,  and  either  felt 
safe  while  the  other  was  making  an  independ 
ent  movement.  In  the  course  of  the  years 
that  have  elapsed  since  the  termination  of  the 
war  I  have  frequently  been  asked,  "Which 
was  the  greater  general,  Lee  or  Jackson?" 
After  pondering  this  question  for  forty-five 
years  I  am  yet  unable  to  decide;  and  that  re 
minds  me  of  Abe  Lincoln  and  the  hats.  When 
he  became  President,  two  enterprising  mer 
chants  in  Washington,  desiring  to  secure  his 
custom,  each  presented  him  with  an  elegant 
silk  hat,  and  it  so  happened  that  they  called 
at  the  same  time  to  learn  his  opinion  of  their 
gifts.  "Gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln, 
"these  hats  mutually  excel  each  other." 

On  Tuesday,  the  26th  of  August,  the  march 
of  Jackson's  corps  began,  every  step  of  the 
onward  way  bringing  us  nearer  to  the  Blue 
Ridge  where  it  borders  the  county  of  Rap- 
pahannock,  and  causing  us  to  guess  that 
through  some  gap  of  the  mountain  we  were 
going  into  the  valley.  We  did  not  know 
what  Old  Jack,  (as  he  was  familiarly  and  af- 


38     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

fectionately  called,)  was  up  to,  but  it  did  not 
matter  what  was  the  objective, — so  implicit 
was  the  confidence  reposed  in  his  military 
judgment.  Passing  out  of  Rappahannock 
and  skirting  the  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  we 
rested  for  the  night  at  Salem,  in  Fanquier, 
a  station  of  the  Manassas  Gap  Railroad,  the 
name  of  which  has  since  been  changed  to 
Marshall.  Betimes  the  next  morning  we 
were  hurrying  eastward  through  Thorough 
fare  Gap  of  Bull  Run  Mountain,  and  late  in 
the  evening  we  arrived  at  Manassas  Junction, 
— between  Pope's  army  and  Washington.  I 
had  read  that  walking  was  an  excellent  form 
of  exercise  because  it  brought  into  play  every 
muscle  of  the  body,  and  having  walked  nearly 
sixty  miles  in  two  days  I  was  convinced  that 
the  reason  assigned  was  valid,  for  the  muscles 
of  my  arms  and  neck  were  almost  as  sore  as 
were  those  of  my  legs.  The  making  of  long 
marches  unexpectedly  and  quickly  was  one  of 
the  secrets  of  Jackson's  success.  It  may  be 
supposed  by  the  uninitiated  that  after  such 
fatigue  the  soldier  is  not  in  good  condition  for 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     39 

fighting;  but  the  sense  of  weariness  is  lost 
when  the  excitement  of  battle  begins. 

The  few  Federal  regiments  on  guard  at  the 
Junction  were  quickly  dispersed,  and  trains  of 
cars  loaded  with  all  sorts  of  army  supplies 
were  burned.  A  large  building  filled  with 
commissary  stores  was  also  burned,  but  not 
before  our  empty  haversacks  had  been  re 
plenished.  By  the  light  of  the  fires  we  supped 
plentifully  on  potatoes  and  beef  and  then  lay 
down  upon  the  ground,  not  to  pleasant  dreams, 
but  to  dreamless  sleep. 

On  the  a8th  our  brigade  with  some  others 
went  toward  Centerville,  in  Fairfax  county, 
and  thence  turning  away  came  back  into 
Prince  William  and  took  position  on  a  part  of 
the  ground  whereon  the  first  battle  of  Manas- 
sas  had  been  fought.  Ewell's  division,  which 
had  been  left  behind  to  befog  Pope's  mind  and 
retard  his  movements,  joined  us  and  completed 
the  defensive  line  of  Jackson's  entire  corps. 

The  next  day  the  Federal  army  began  to 
press  us  vigorously,  but  the  numerous  attacks 
made  upon  us  were  repelled  and  followed 


40     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

by  counter  charges.  Our  Brigadier-General, 
Field,  was  wounded  badly,  and  Company  F 
lost  some  men,  among  whom  was  Lieutenant 
James  Ball,  who  in  the  absence  of  Capt.  Wil 
liam  Brown  was  in  command.  By  his  death 
the  control  of  the  company  was  devolved  upon 
me. 

Let  me  here  relate  an  incident  to  show  that 
between  individuals  of  the  opposing  hosts 
there  was  no  animosity.  During  a  lull  in  the 
battle  I  left  the  regiment  and  circumspectly 
proceeded  forward  to  reconnoiter.  I  found 
in  a  wood  a  Yankee  captain  dangerously 
wounded,  a  fine-looking  man  and  handsomely 
dressed.  In  reply  to  the  question  whether  I 
could  do  anything  for  him  he  asked  for  water, 
and  I,  kneeling  down,  held  my  canteen  to  his 
lips,  for  which  kindness  he  made  grateful  ack 
nowledgments.  "And  now,"  said  I,  "there  is 
something  you  can  do  for  me:  you  can  give 
me  your  sword,  but  I  will  not  take  it  unless 
you  part  with  it  freely."  He  replied  that  I 
was  welcome  to  it,  for  he  would  never  need 
it  again.  After  I  had  taken  it  he  said :  "You 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     41 

had  better  retire,  because  our  men  will  soon 
be  here  again."  He  was  thirsty,  and  I  gave 
him  drink;  I  was  in  danger,  and  he  gave  me 
friendly  warning. 

That  sword  had  an  unfortunate  history:  its 
beautiful  scabbard,  belt,  and  shoulder  strap 
were  ruined  when  my  tent  was  burned  the 
next  winter;  its  hilt  was  shot  off  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  and  the  naked  blade  was  thrown 
away  on  that  ensanguined  field. 

I  returned  to  where  the  regiment  was  stand 
ing  prepared  to  receive  another  attack,  which, 
however,  was  not  made  that  day.  When  we 
were  ordered  to  fall  back  to  our  first  position, 
I  caused  to  be  brought  with  us  the  bodies  of 
Lieutenant  Ball  and  his  most  intimate  friend, 
Mordecai  Lawson,  who,  like  him,  had  been 
shot  in  the  forehead.  With  bayonets  and 
hands  a  grave  was  dug,  in  which  we  laid  them 
side  by  side,  and  spreading  over  them  a  sol 
dier's  blanket,  we  heaped  above  them  the  turf 
and  clods.  In  neither  army  could  there  have 
been  found  two  braver  men.  Boon  compan 
ions  in  life,  in  death  they  were  not  divided. 


42     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

The  next  day,  Saturday  the  3Oth,  witnessed 
the  grand  struggle  that  has  become  famous 
in  history  as  the  Second  Battle  of  Manassas. 
After  a  separation  of  four  days  Longstreet's 
corps  had  come  up  and  formed  on  Jackson's 
right,  and  General  Pope  was  compelled  either 
to  retreat  or  fight  on  ground  so  skilfully  se 
lected  by  General  Lee.  The  line  of  battle  was 
nearly  parallel  with  Bull  Run,  whereas  in  the 
first  battle  it  was  perpendicular  to  it. 

There  was  between  the  two  armies  a  bed  that 
had  been  graded  for  a  railroad,  but  upon 
which  no  rails  have  ever  been  laid.  It  was 
the  fortune  of  the  First  Brigade  to  fight  on 
Friday  over  a  shallow  cut,  and  on  Saturday 
over  the  deepest  of  all.  Our  line  being 
formed  in  an  oak  forest  and  ordered  to  charge, 
we  rushed  from  the  wood  into  a  large  field 
across  which  the  cut  had  been  dug,  not  know 
ing  it  was  there  until  we  came  close  to  it.  The 
Federal  soldiers  on  the  other  side  made  but 
feeble  resistance,  because  they  had  already 
been  hotly  engaged  with  a  brigade  composed 
of  the  6oth  Virginia  and  some  regiments  from 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     43 

Louisiana.  That  brigade  was  down  in  the  cut, 
having  exhausted  their  ammunition,  and  it 
would  have  been  captured  but  for  our  timely 
arrival,  which  filled  them  with  rejoicing.  In 
that  charge  the  saber  was  knocked  from  my 
uplifted  hand,  and  falling  it  stuck  in  the 
ground  some  paces  behind  me. 

The  brigade  did  not  cross  the  cut,  but  a  few 
of  the  men  clambered  over  and  I  among  them. 
There  was  a  cannon  over  there  which  they 
pulled  back  with  all  the  hilarity  of  college 
students,  some  riding  astraddle  the  piece, 
cheering,  and  waving  their  caps. 

We  had  no  sooner  recrossed  the  cut  and  re 
gained  our  places  in  the  line  than  the  grand 
spectacle  of  dense  columns  of  Pope's  army 
coming  to  the  assault  was  witnessed.  In 
perfect  array,  they  kept  step  as  if  on  dress 
parade,  and  bore  their  banners  proudly.  I 
looked  for  a  terrific  shock,  but  before  they 
came  to  close  quarters  with  us,  the  Confed 
erate  artillery,  massed  on  high  ground  behind 
us,  opened  upon  their  closed  ranks,  and 
wrought  such  fearful  destruction  as,  I  believe, 


44     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

was  not  dealt  in  any  other  battle  of  the  entire 
war.  Shells  burst  among  them  so  thick  and 
fast  that  in  a  few  minutes  the  field  was  literally 
strewn  with  the  killed  and  wounded.  They 
halted,  they  turned,  they  fled;  and  Lee's  whole 
army  assuming  the  offensive,  rushed  forward 
and  won  the  battle. 

General  Pope  was  going  to  hoist  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  above  the  capitol  in  Richmond, 
but  he  came  no  nearer  to  the  city  than  Cedar 
Run.  His  men  were  brave,  but  from  first  to 
last  he  was  mystified  by  Lee's  superior  strategy. 
A  prisoner  said  to  me,  "If  we  had  your  Jack 
son,  we  would  soon  whip  you."  And  I  will 
express  the  opinion  that  if  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  had  been  commanded  by  generals 
who  were  the  equals  of  Lee  and  Jackson  the 
Southern  Confederacy  would  have  collapsed 
before  April,  1865 ;  and  sooner  still  if  Lee  and 
Jackson  had  led  the  Northern  armies,  while 
the  Confederates  were  marshaled  by  leaders 
of  Pope's  caliber. 


CHAPTER  VI 

'Tis  the  soldiers'  life 
To  have  their  balmy  slumbers  waked  with  strife. 

— SHAKESPEARE'S  Othello. 

OUR  next  encounter  with  the  Yankees 
occurred  on  the  first  day  of  September 
at  a  place  called  Ox  Hill,  near  Chan- 
tiny  on  the  Little  River  turnpike,  in  which 
they  sustained  a  heavy  loss  in  the  death  of 
General  Philip  Kearney,  one  of  their  best  and 
bravest  commanders.  Inasmuch  as  the  action 
took  place  during  a  thunderstorm  its  awful 
impressiveness  was  increased,  and  it  was  diffi 
cult  to  distinguish  between  the  reverberations 
of  the  heavens  and  the  detonations  of  the 
mimicking  artillery,  sometimes  alternating 
and  sometimes  simultaneous. 

That  night,  when  all  was  still  and  darkness 
had  settled  upon  the  field  where  lay  the  vic 
tims  of  war,  a  soldier  of  the  4Oth  regiment, 

45 


46     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

an  intrepid  Irishman,  George  Cornwell  by 
name,  went  out  prowling  for  food  and  plunder, 
taking  his  musket  with  him.  Unexpectedly 
meeting  a  Federal  lieutenant  and  four  men 
bearing  a  stretcher  and  searching  for  their 
wounded  captain,  he  was  asked  to  what  regi 
ment  he  belonged.  With  ready  wit  he 
named  a  New  York  regiment,  and  then 
learning  their  business  and  finding  that  they 
were  unarmed,  he  leveled  his  musket,  de 
manded  their  surrender,  and  brought  them  as 
prisoners  within  our  lines.  I  myself  did  a 
little  searching  until  I  found  a  full  haversack 
strapped  to  a  man  who  would  never  use  his 
teeth  again.  I  was  hungry,  and  chilled  by  the 
recent  rain.  I  found  in  the  haversack  crackers 
and  ground  coffee  mixed  with  sugar;  and 
bringing  into  requisition  my  matches,  tin  cup, 
and  canteen  of  water  (which  three  things  I 
was  always  careful  to  have  about  me),  I  soon 
had  a  pint  of  steaming  beverage.  I  ate  my 
supper,  and  then  laid  down  to  sleep.  This 
was  only  one  of  many  times  that  I  slept  in 
wet  garments  on  the  rain-soaked  lap  of  earth 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     47 

without  injury  to  my  health;  and  the  only  rea 
son  I  can  give  for  the  immunity  is,  that  those 
were  "War  times." 

The  National  army  returned  to  Washing 
ton,  and  together  with  all  the  forces  in  and 
around  that  city  was  again  put  under  the  com 
mand  of  General  McClellan. 

From  Chantilly  we  marched  to  the  vicinity 
of  Leesburg  and  went  into  camp  near  a  beauti 
ful  spring,  several  feet  deep,  which  was  in  a 
large  square  walled  up  with  brick.  The  next 
day  we  came  to  the  Potomac  river,  which  was 
then  about  four  feet  deep,  with  its  bottom 
covered  with  rounded  stones  of  many  sizes. 
We  were  not  so  favored  as  Joshua's  host  at  the 
Jordan,  but  we  just  walked  from  shore  to 
shore  as  if  there  were  no  water  there.  Beauti 
ful  was  the  scene.  As  I  approached  the  river 
I  beheld  those  who  had  crossed  ascending  the 
hill  on  the  farther  shore ;  in  the  water  a  double 
line  of  soldiers  stretching  from  side  to  side, 
their  guns  held  high  above  the  current  and 
gilded  by  the  beams  of  the  westering  sun; 
and  others  behind  them  going  down  the  de- 


48     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

clivity  of  the  Virginia  shore.  There  came 
unbidden  to  my  mind  some  lines  of  one  of 
Charles  Wesley's  hymns: 

One  army  of  the  living  God, 

To  his  command  we  bow ; 
Part  of  the  host  have  crossed  the  flood, 

And  part  are  crossing  now. 
E'en  now  to  their  eternal  home 

Some  happy  spirits  fly; 
And  we  are  to  the  margin  come, 

And  soon  expect  to  die. 

From  Bunyan's  time  onward,  and  I  know 
not  how  long  before,  a  river  has  been  the 
Christian  symbol  of  death. 

There  was  some  expectation  that  when  we 
came  into  Maryland  many  of  her  sons  would 
rally  to  our  banners,  according  to  the  predic 
tion  of  a  well-known  song: 

"She  breathes,  she  burns,  she'll  come,  she'll  come, 
Maryland,   my   Maryland;" 

but  the  cold  fact  is,  she  did  not  come;  and  in 
the  light  of  subsequent  events,  it  is  well  that 
she  did  not. 

From  the  Potomac  the  march  was  continued 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     49 

to  the  Monocacy  river,  near  Frederick  City. 
During  our  brief  sojourn  there  we  bought 
goods  in  the  stores  and  paid  for  them  in  Con 
federate  money,  although,  no  doubt,  the  mer 
chants  would  have  preferred  greenbacks  or 
specie ;  and  so  far  as  I  know  nothing  was  taken 
without  that  remuneration. 

Again  Lee's  army  was  divided,  Jackson's 
corps  being  detached  and  sent  forward  for  the 
purpose  of  capturing  Harper's  Ferry.  For 
three  days  during  the  westward  march  in 
Maryland  no  rations  were  issued,  and  our  only 
food  was  ears  of  green  corn  roasted  or  boiled 
without  salt.  These  served  for  supper  and 
breakfast,  but  we  had  nothing  for  dinner,  for 
if  when  we  started  in  the  morning  we  put  the 
cooked  corn  in  the  haversacks  it  soured  under 
the  hot  rays  of  the  sun,  and  time  was  too 
precious  to  allow  a  halt  for  cooking  a  fresh 
supply  at  noon. 

Fording  the  Potomac  again,  we  passed  out 
of  Maryland  into  Virginia  at  Williamsport 
and  proceeded  rapidly  to  Harper's  Ferry. 
The  Federal  force  occupying  a  very  high  hill 


50     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

which  had  been  fortified  by  abattis  and  en 
trenchments,  any  attempt  to  storm  it  would 
have  inflicted  terrible  loss  upon  the  attacking 
party.  With  much  difficulty  our  cannon  had 
been  placed  on  the  Maryland  Heights,  on  the 
Loudoun  Heights,  and  on  other  eminences  that 
overlooked  the  enemy's  position;  and  when  all 
was  ready  the  order  was  given  to  the  infantry 
to  begin  the  assault.  When  we  came  to  the 
foot  of  the  little  mountain  occupied  by  the 
Yankees  we  discovered  that  trees  had  been  cut 
so  as  to  fall  downward,  and  that  their  inter 
lacing  limbs  had  been  trimmed  and  sharpened 
to  a  point.  To  advance  upward  through  these 
innumerable  spikes  appeared  impossible; 
nevertheless  we  began  the  ascent  at  the  same 
time  that  our  artillery  on  the  mountains  opened 
fire.  The  enemy,  seeing  our  advance  and  be 
ing  torn  by  plunging  shots  and  shells  from  so 
many  enfilading  directions,  were  persuaded  to 
surrender.  As  we  were  slowly  struggling  up 
ward  I  looked  and  with  a  joyful  feeling  of  re 
lief  saw  the  white  flag  flying,  and  a  large  one 
it  was.  This  was  on  Monday,  the  i5th  of 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     51 

September.  So  well  was  this  affair  planned 
by  Jackson  that  without  the  loss  of  a  man  we 
captured  11,000  prisoners,  13,000  stand  of 
small  arms,  and  73  pieces  of  artillery. 

Having  performed  what  was  necessary  to 
secure  the  fruits  of  this  remarkable  achieve 
ment,  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  that  we 
should  hurry  away  to  reenforce  Longstreet's 
corps,  which  was  confronted  by  the  northern 
army  at  Sharpsburg.  Passing  through  Shep- 
herdstown  we  waded  the  Potomac  the  third 
time.  Our  brigade  did  not  reach  the  battle 
field  until  the  evening  of  the  iyth,  when  the 
most  of  the  severe  fighting  of  the  day  had 
ended.  It  was  a  drawn  battle  with  very  heavy 
losses  on  both  sides.  On  the  i8th  the  oppos 
ing  hosts  confronted  each  other  without  com 
ing  to  blows.  Did  not  McClellan  blunder 
again?  Having  a  much  greater  army,  a  part 
of  which  had  not  been  engaged,  ought  he  not 
to  have  renewed  the  battle  in  the  attempt  to 
crush  the  Confederates  and  drive  them  into 
the  river?  When  he  awoke  on  the  19*  Lee's 
army  was  on  the  Virginia  side. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  midnight  brought  the  signal-sound  of  strife, 
The  morn  the  marshalling  in  arms,  the  day 
Battle's  magnificently-stern  array. 

— BYRON. 

ON  the  20th  of  September  McClellan 
sent  one  of  his  divisions  over  into  Vir 
ginia,  with  the  purpose,  I  suppose,  of 
making  a  reconnoissance  in  force.  It  was  at 
tacked  by  the  Light  Division  and  driven  back 
to  the  Maryland  side  of  the  river,  not  a  few  of 
the  men  perishing  in  the  water.  On  that  oc 
casion  the  47th  passed  within  a  few  paces  of  a 
Yankee  regiment  standing  in  line  in  a  field 
and  displaying  their  national  banner.  Not  a 
musket  was  fired  by  either  party;  for  they,  be 
ing  cut  off  from  the  river,  were  doomed  to 
captivity,  and  we  were  going  at  double-quick 
against  another  force.  When  the  engagement 
had  ended  and  we  were  marching  away,  a  solid 

5* 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     53 

shot  from  beyond  the  river  ricochetted  along 
our  line  and  in  unpleasant  proximity  to  it. 
Though  much  of  its  force  was  spent,  yet  if  it 
had  struck  our  line  it  had  sufficient  momentum 
to  have  destroyed  many  lives.  Here  was  a 
close  call,  which  differed  from  many  another 
in  that  the  bounding  ball  was  visible. 

The  Maryland  campaign  being  over,  Jack 
son's  corps  retired  to  Bunker  Hill  between 
Winchester  and  Martinsburg,  and  there  we 
had  for  more  than  two  months  an  unusual  sea 
son  of  rest  and  recuperation.  I  remember 
one  day  of  special  enjoyment.  Obeying  an  or 
der,  I  took  a  squad  of  men  some  seven  or  eight 
miles  along  the  turnpike  in  the  direction  of 
Martinsburg  to  keep  a  lookout  for  the  ap 
proach  of  the  enemy.  We  halted  where  there 
was  a  grove  on  one  side  of  the  road  and  a  dwel 
ling-house  on  the  other.  We  purchased  a 
shoat  from  the  matron  of  that  domicile,  who 
made  us  a  stew  that  would  have  done  credit 
to  the  Maypole  Inn.  After  dinner, — the  only 
meal  worthy  of  that  name  that  I  had  enjoyed 
for  many  months, — I  took  a  musket,  and  leav- 


54     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

ing  the  men  a  short  distance  behind,  took  a 
stand  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  No  Yankee 
came  in  sight,  but  while  I  was  there  silently 
waiting  and  watching  two  large,  beautiful 
wild  turkeys  walked  with  stately  step  across 
the  road  in  easy  range.  Was  I  tempted  to 
shoot?  Yes.  Did  I  do  it?  No;  for  I  was 
particularly  instructed  that  on  no  account 
must  a  gun  be  fired  except  on  the  enemy's  ap 
proach.  The  report  would  have  been  re 
peated  by  squads  in  my  rear,  the  camp  would 
have  been  falsely  alarmed,  and  I  would  have 
been  justly  court-martialed. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac,  100,000  strong 
and  commanded  by  General  Burnside,  once 
more  took  up  the  slogan, — "On  to  Richmond," 
— but  that  was  more  easily  said  than  done. 
Before  it  reached  the  northern  bank  of  the 
Rappahannock  river,  opposite  Fredericks- 
burg,  the  ever-watchful  Lee,  having  left  the 
valley,  had  occupied  the  heights  on  the  other 
side.  Jackson's  corps  by  rapid  marches  ar 
rived  at  Fredericksburg  on  the  nth  of  De 
cember,  none  too  soon  for  the  impending  con- 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     55 

flict,  and  took  position  on  Longstreet's  right. 
Nearly  five  miles  from  the  town  our  brigade 
formed  the  extreme  right  of  the  Southern 
Army,  which  was  an  assignment  of  honor; 
and  the  47th  held  the  right  of  the  brigade. 
The  other  brigades  of  Hill's  Light  Division 
formed  on  our  left,  Gregg's  next  to  ours,  and 
between  the  two  on  higher  ground  twenty 
pieces  of  artillery  looked  out  across  the  field. 
Lee's  army  had  the  advantage  of  position,  and 
had  the  rare  pleasure  of  fighting  on  the  defen 
sive.  It  occupied  the  high  ground  that  bor 
ders  the  river  flat,  and  which  is  close  to  the 
town,  but,  as  it  continues,  recedes  from  the 
river,  leaving  an  ever  widening  plain.  On 
the  morning  of  the  memorable  I3th  that  plain 
resounded  to  the  martial  tread  of  Burnside's 
army. 

Before  the  battle  began  General  Lee,  in 
specting  the  disposition  of  his  forces  all  along 
the  line,  rode  up  to  where  we  stood,  and  dis 
mounting  from  Traveller,  handed  the  bridle- 
rein  to  an  orderly.  This  was  the  first  time 
that  I  saw  him,  and  his  appearance  made  an 


56     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

indelible  impression  upon  my  mind.  What  a 
noble  man  he  was  in  form  and  face  as  well  as 
in  moral  character!  While  he  was  examin 
ing  the  outlying  field  I  had  a  conversation 
with  the  orderly,  who  spoke  of  the  General's 
fondness  for  his  horse. 

Having  observed  that  a  few  men  of  the  Con 
federate  cavalry  had  brought  up  a  piece  of 
artillery  in  front  of  our  right,  I  obtained  per 
mission  of  Colonel  Mayo  and  ran  forward  to 
join  them.  Two  Federal  batteries  came  for 
ward  in  a  gallop  and  in  a  minute's  time  un- 
limbered  and  began  firing  against  Hill's  divi 
sion,  the  twenty  guns  of  which  I  have  spoken 
giving  them  as  good  as  they  sent  and  a  little 
better.  The  Yankees  were  so  hotly  engaged 
by  the  firing  in  front  of  them  that  they  paid 
no  attention  to  the  little  cavalry  gun  upon  the 
flank.  The  first  shot  did  no  execution,  but  the 
next  struck  a  caisson  and  exploded  its  contents. 

What  more  was  done  there  I  cannot  say; 
for  seeing  that  the  Federal  infantry  were  ad 
vancing  to  the  charge,  I  hastily  returned  to 
my  position  in  the  regiment.  Our  men,  lying 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     57 

in  a  railroad  cut  about  two  feet  deep,  waited 
until  the  Yankees  were  close  upon  them,  and 
then  rising  up  poured  such  volleys  upon  them 
as  caused  them  to  retire  in  confusion;  but  on 
our  left  Gregg's  South  Carolina  brigade  was 
broken  through  and  he  was  killed.  Being 
thereby  severed  from  the  rest  of  the  army,  we 
changed  front  and  took  the  victorious  Yankees 
in  flank,  causing  them  to  lose  their  advantage 
and  fall  back  to  the  railroad  which  they  had 
crossed.  Then  occurred  a  pretty  duel.  The 
blue  and  the  grey  lines  were  about  sixty  yards 
apart  and  each  was  loading  and  firing  as  rap 
idly  as  possible.  The  Federal  general  and 
his  two  aides  on  horseback  were  urging  their 
men  to  charge,  as  was  evident  from  their 
gestures;  but  their  men  would  not  respond. 
Being  an  officer  I  had  no  weapons  but 
sword  and  pistol,  but  I  picked  up  the  musket 
of  one  of  our  men,  who  had  loaded  it  but  was 
killed  before  he  could  discharge  it,  and  called 
on  some  of  our  company  to  shoot  down  the 
horsemen.  We  took  deliberate  aim  and  fired ; 
and  down  went  horses  and  riders.  "Now," 


58     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

said  I,  "shoot  down  the  colors."  Four  times 
they  fell,  only  to  be  quickly  raised  again.  I 
would  not  affirm  that  the  little  group  about 
me  shot  down  the  horsemen  and  the  flag,  for 
many  others  were  shooting  at  the  same  time;  I 
only  know  that  we  calmly  did  our  best  in  that 
direction.  After  a  while  the  enemy  turned 
and  fled;  and  I  was  glad,  for  they  had  in 
flicted  on  the  47th  a  loss  of  fifty  men  in  killed 
and  wounded.  However,  their  loss  greatly 
exceeded  ours.  The  next  day,  when  a  truce 
prevailed  for  burying  the  dead  and  caring 
for  the  wounded,  I  was  informed  by  some  of 
the  Union  soldiers  that  the  name  of  that  gen 
eral  was  Jackson.  He  was  a  brave  man,  de 
serving  a  better  fate,  and  he  fell  while  nobly 
performing  what  he  believed  was  his  dutyxto 
his  country. 

It  was  the  general  and  confident  expectation 
that  the  battle  would  be  renewed,  and  we 
were,  therefore,  surprised  to  discover  on  the 
morning  of  the  i5th  that  the  enemy  had  during 
the  night  recrossed  to  the  northern  side  of  the 
river.  Their  loss  in  the  engagement  was  three 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     59 

times  greater  than  ours.  Burnside  made  the 
mistake  of  putting  forth  his  greatest  strength 
where  the  Confederates  were  strongest.  If  he 
had  assailed  our  right  as  fiercely  as  he  did  our 
left,  perhaps  there  might  have  been  a  different 
result. 

In  a  few  days  after  the  battle  I  was  in 
formed  by  Colonel  Mayo  that  I  was  "for  gal 
lant  and  meritorious  conduct  promoted  to  be 
First  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant  of  the  47th  regi 
ment."  I  had  not  thought  of  trying  to  make 
an  exhibition  of  unusual  gallantry  among  so 
many  intrepid  men,  but,  of  course,  the  com 
mendation  and  promotion  were  highly  grati 
fying. 

"The  love  of  praise,  howe'er  concealed  by  art, 
Reigns  more  or  less,  and  glows  in  ev'ry  heart." 

The  campaign  having  come  to  an  end,  Lee's 
army  went  into  winter  quarters  at  camp  Gregg, 
so  named  in  honor  of  Brigadier-General 
Maxcy  Gregg  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg.  It  was  near  Moss  Neck,  the 
large  and  fertile  farm  of  Mr.  Richard  Corbin. 


60     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

The  Rappahannock  river  flowed  between  the 
Yankee  and  the  Rebel  armies,  each  picketing 
its  own  side  of  the  stream.  By  common  con 
sent  there  was  no  shooting  across  the  river,  but 
on  the  other  hand  there  was  an  occasional  ex 
change  of  tobacco  and  coffee  by  means  of  little 
boats.  We  could  hear  them  impudently  sing 
ing:  "O  soldiers,  won't  you  meet  us."  We 
had  met  them  on  fields  of  carnage,  and  ex 
pected  to  meet  them  again  on  the  return  of 
spring;  but  whether  we  should  meet  them 
"On  Canaan's  happy  shore,"  or  in  some  less 
pleasing  locality  in  the  eternal  world,  who 
could  say? 

I  distinctly  remember  one  night  when  my 
turn  came  to  go  to  the  river  on  picket  duty, 
and  the  earth  was  covered  with  snow  several 
inches  deep.  When  my  watch  was  off  and  the 
opportunity  to  sleep  was  afforded  the  question 
was,  where  to  lie  down.  I  spread  on  the  snow 
some  boughs  that  I  had  cut  from  a  cedar  tree 
and  laid  a  gum  cloth  upon  them.  Upon  this 
pallet  I  lay  down  and  covering  myself  head 
and  all  with  a  blanket  enjoyed  sweet,  refresh- 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     61 

ing,  and  healthful  sleep.  The  next  morning 
the  blanket  above  my  head  was  stiff-frozen 
with  the  moisture  from  my  breath. 

There  was  one  man  that  should  have  been 
mentioned  before  this  time, — a  negro  of  my 
own  age,  whose  name  was  Charles  Wesley. 
We  had  grown  up  on  the  farm  together,  and 
had  played,  and  boxed,  and  wrestled  without 
respect  to  color.  Not  as  a  slave  but  as  a  friend 
he  followed  me  to  the  war, — my  launderer, 
my  cook,  and  when  I  was  sick,  my  nurse. 
Having  orders  to  keep  himself  out  of  danger, 
he  very  willingly  remained  far  in  the  rear 
when  a  battle  was  in  progress,  but  when  the 
firing  ceased  he  faithfully  sought  me  and 
reported  for  duty.  While  writing  about 
Charles,  I  may  anticipate  a  little  and  say  that 
when  we  were  in  Pennsylvania  I  told  him  that 
we  were  on  Yankee  soil,  and  that  he  had  the 
opportunity  of  deserting  me  and  of  remaining 
there  as  a  free  man.  He  replied  that  he  al 
ready  knew  that,  but  that  he  was  going  to 
abide  with  me.  And  when  I  was  captured  at 
Falling  Waters  he  had  the  intelligence  and 


62     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

fidelity  to  ride  my  horse  home  and  deliver 
him  to  my  brother. 

It  was  while  we  were  encamped  at  Moss 
Neck  that  I  witnessed  a  military  execution 
for  the  offense  of  desertion  from  the  47th 
regiment.  The  criminal  was  on  his  knees, 
blindfolded,  with  his  hands  tied  behind  him  to 
a  stake.  A  short  distance  in  front  of  him  was 
the  line  of  twenty  men  detailed  to  do  the  shoot 
ing,  and  commanded  by  an  officer  especially 
appointed.  No  man  could  tell  who  did  the 
killing,  for  the  twenty  muskets  were  handed  to 
them,  one-half  of  them  being  loaded  with 
blank  cartridges.  The  rest  of  the  regiment 
was  drawn  up,  one-half  on  the  right,  and  the 
other  on  the  left.  At  the  word  "Fire!"  the 
report  of  the  guns  rang  out  and  the  deserter 
fell  forward  pierced  by  balls.  Death  was  in 
stantaneous.  Although  the  crime  was  mortal, 
the  scene  was  painfully  sad. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Nothing  except  a  battle  lost  can  be  half  so  melancholy  as  a 
battle  won. 

— WELLINGTON. 

I  DID  not  serve  long  as  the  adjutant  of  the 
47th  regiment.  In  March,  1863,  Com 
pany  I  of  the  4oth  regiment,  having  from 
one  cause  or  another  lost  all  its  officers,  unani 
mously  desired  that  I  should  become  their 
captain,  and  this  desire  was  approved  by  Col 
onel  Brockenbrough,  who  commanded  that 
regiment,  as  well  as  by  General  Heth,  who 
commanded  the  brigade.  I  was  loath  to 
sever  connection  from  the  regiment  to  which 
I  had  been  attached  since  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  but  I  accepted  the  new  position,  because 
it  was  in  the  line  of  promotion,  and  the  men 
of  the  company  were  from  my  native  county 
and  well  known  to  me;  moreover,  I  would 
still  be  in  the  same  brigade  with  my  old  com- 

63 


64     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

rades  of  the  47th.  My  captain's  commission 
was  dated  April  30,  and  was  signed  by  James 
A.  Seddon,  Secretary  of  War. 

When  the  spring  had  come  General  Joseph 
Hooker,  the  successor  of  unfortunate  Burn- 
side,  having  crossed  the  Rappahannock  river, 
took  up  a  strong  position  at  Chancellorsville, 
with  an  army  numerically  twice  as  strong  as 
the  available  Confederate  forces,  and  declared 
by  him  to  be  "the  finest  army  on  the  planet." 
At  the  same  time  a  powerful  detachment  under 
General  Sedgwick  crossed  the  river  below 
Fredericksburg  and  made  demonstrations  of 
attack  upon  the  Confederate  lines.  Never 
was  General  Lee  confronted  by  a  more  peril 
ous  situation,  and  never  did  his  military  genius 
more  brilliantly  appear. 

In  war  so  much  depends  upon  the  comman 
der,  that  I  advance  the  confident  opinion  that 
if  the  Confederates  had  been  under  the  charge 
of  Hooker  and  Sedgwick,  and  Lee  and  Jack 
son  had  had  command  of  the  Federal  soldiers 
above  and  below  Fredericksburg,  the  Confed 
erate  army  would  have  been  destroyed ;  and  the 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     65 

Army  of  the  Potomac  would  have  walked 
straight  into  Richmond.  That  army  would 
indeed  have  been  "the  finest  on  the  planet," 
if  the  skill  and  the  courage  of  its  commander 
had  equaled  its  numbers,  its  aggressive  power, 
and  its  opulent  equipment. 

Hooker  had  a  grand  opportunity,  but  in- 
gloriously  failed  to  use  it.  He  had  conceived 
a  good  plan  of  action,  and  he  successfully  exe 
cuted  its  initial  movement;  but  when  the 
decisive  hour  arrived  his  resolution  failed.  In 
stead  of  advancing  aggressively  on  to  Freder- 
icksburg,  as  he  had  begun  to  do,  he  turned 
back  and  fortified  his  army  with  intrench- 
ments.  Did  he  mistrust  himself,  or  his  army, 
or  both?  His  original  scheme  contemplated 
offensive  tactics,  and  all  its  merit  was  sacrificed 
when  he  began  to  erect  defensive  fortifications. 

Let  me  here  briefly  describe  Chancellors- 
ville  and  its  environments  as  I  saw  them  dur 
ing  the  battle.  There  was  no  village  there, 
but  only  a  large  brick  tavern  with  a  few  out 
buildings,  located  immediately  on  the  north 
side  of  the  road  that  connects  Fredericksburg 


66     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

and  Orange.  In  the  rear  it  was  separated 
from  the  forest  by  a  narrow  field,  while  in 
front  and  across  the  road  there  was  a  large 
space  of  open  land.  In  the  direction  of 
Orange  the  road  and  fields  declined  to  a 
wooded  ravine.  On  the  slightly  elevated 
land  in  front  of  the  tavern  the  Yankees  had 
unlimbered  twenty  Napoleon  cannon,  and 
along  the  side  of  the  ravine  they  had  erected 
breastworks  of  logs  and  earth. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  May  i,  our 
brigade  had  marched  up  from  Fredericksburg 
and  halted  in  striking  distance  of  the  Federal 
army.  What  could  we  expect  but  that  in  the 
morning  we  should  be  waging  an  assault  upon 
its  fortified  position?  Instead  of  that  Jackson 
led  us  with  the  rest  of  his  corps  around  the 
front  of  that  position  until  we  struck  the  road 
on  the  Orange  side  of  Chancellorsville.  We 
were  now  on  Hooker's  right  flank,  having 
marched  quickly  and  silently  fifteen  miles  over 
a  rough  and  unfrequented  road.  The  sun  was 
sinking  toward  the  western  horizon  when  our 
lines  of  attack  were  formed  on  both  sides  of 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     67 

the  road  and  at  right  angles  to  it.  Imme 
diately  the  onslaught  began,  silent,  rapid,  reso 
lute,  Herri's  brigade  being  on  the  north  or  left 
side  of  the  road.  We  had  not  proceeded  far 
before  we  struck  Howard's  corps  all  unsus 
pecting  and  unprepared.  Their  fires  were 
kindled  for  cooking  supper,  and  dressed  beeves 
were  ready  for  distribution  among  the  com 
panies.  They  fled  before  us,  strewing  the 
ground  with  muskets,  knapsacks,  and  other  ac- 
couterments.  Whoever  censures  them  for 
running  would  probably  have  acted  as  they 
did,  for  our  charge  was  as  lightning  from  a 
cloudless  sky.  On  the  way  we  crossed  a  little 
fram,  and  as  I  passed  the  dwelling  I  saw  sev 
eral  ladies  who  were  wildly  rejoicing. 

When  we  had  come  within  half  a  mile  of 
Chancellorsville  daylight  had  faded  into 
night.  The  moon  had  risen,  but  her  rays 
were  rendered  intermittent  by  scudding 
clouds.  The  darkness,  the  tangled  under 
growth  of  the  forest,  and  the  entrenchments 
and  artillery  of  the  enemy  combined  to  arrest 
our  progress.  Those  cannon  of  which  I  have 


68     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

spoken  shelled  the  woods  in  which  we  lay, 
and  what  a  cannonade  it  was!  The  trees  and 
bushes  trembled,  the  air  was  laden  with 
sulphurous  fumes,  the  very  earth  seemed  to 
quake  under  the  impulse  of  exploding  shells. 
There  was,  however,  more  noise  than  execu 
tion  ;  only  one  man  of  my  company  was  struck, 
and  his  broken  jaw  was  bound  up  by  my 
handkerchief. 

From  my  position  on  the  roadside  I  saw  a 
few  riderless  horses  running  terror-stricken  to 
the  rear.  These  were,  I  believe,  the  animals 
that  Jackson  and  his  aides  had  ridden  to  the 
front.  It  is  recorded  that  he  was  wounded 
by  some  soldiers  of  the  i8th  North  Carolina 
regiment  who  were  in  the  brigade  of  Gen 
eral  James  H.  Lane.  If  this  statement  were 
made  on  less  reliable  authority  it  might  be 
questioned;  for  I  know  that  the  Yankees  were 
close  to  our  front  and  that  Jackson  could  not 
have  ridden  far  beyond  our  line  without  en 
countering  their  volley.  We  did  not  hear  un 
til  next  morning  that  our  peerless  leader  had 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     69 

been  shot.  Alas!  As  when  Hector  fell  the 
doom  of  Troy  was  sealed,  so  with  the  death 
of  Jackson  the  star  of  the  Southern  Confed 
eracy  declined. 

Late  in  the  night  the  firing  ceased,  and  the 
Gray  and  the  Blue  lay  on  their  arms,  catch 
ing  brief  snatches  of  troubled  sleep,  and  abid 
ing  the  renewal  of  hostilities  with  the  coming 
morning. 

On  the  bright  and  pleasant  Sunday  that  en 
sued  no  chiming  bells  nor  melodies  of  sacred 
music  were  heard  upon  that  famous  field,  but 
only  the  cries  of  antagonistic  men  and  the  hor 
rid  din  of  batteries  and  muskets.  Our  brigade 
being  transferred  to  the  right  side  of  the  road 
and  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  in  the  forest,  it 
was  not  long  before  the  renowned  Stonewall 
brigade  passed  by  us  and  charged  upon  the 
breastworks  of  the  enemy.  It  was  repulsed 
with  heavy  loss,  the  Yankees  having  prepon 
derating  advantage  of  position.  Then  Fen 
der's  intrepid  brigade  of  North  Carolinians 
had  a  similar  experience.  There  were  no 


70     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

braver  soldiers  in  the  army  than  the  men  com 
posing  these  two  defeated  brigades.  When, 
therefore,  the  command  to  charge  was  given 
to  us,  could  we  hope  for  a  better  result?  As 
we  advanced  a  shell  struck  the  ground  im 
mediately  before  me,  exploded  and  covered 
me  with  dirt,  but  providentially  inflicted  no 
wounds.  Onward  we  rushed  with  the  usual 
inspiriting  Rebel  yell.  When  we  came  in  sight 
of  those  formidable  rifle  pits  we  were  de 
lighted  to  find  them  abandoned  by  our  foes; 
and  when  we  climbed  over  them  and  entered 
the  field  just  beyond  them  we  were  no  less 
glad  to  discover  that  those  batteries  that  had 
so  noisily  shelled  us  the  night  before  had  been 
withdrawn. 

There  in  full  view  toward  our  left  stood 
Chancellor's  tavern,  and  the  large  field  in 
front  was  literally  filled  with  Federal  soldiers 
in  perfect  array  marching  northward, — that 
is,  to  the  rear.  The  retreat  of  Hooker's  army 
had  begun ;  they  were  not  whipped  but  out 
generaled.  Passing  across  the  road  by  the 
tavern  and  entering  the  forest  behind  it,  they 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     71 

left  not  in  sight  a  single  blue  coat,  save  that  a 
battery  in  the  tavern  yard  was  firing  upon  us. 
Two  Confederate  batteries  galloped  up  to  our 
line,  and,  unlimbering,  opened  upon  the  bat 
tery  in  the  yard  at  close  range.  There  were 
in  the  Southern  armies  many  soldiers  in  their 
teens,  but  here  at  one  of  the  guns  labored  a 
boy  who  was,  as  I  guessed  from  his  size,  not 
more  than  twelve  years  old.  It  was  his  part 
to  fire  the  gun  by  pulling  the  lanyard,  and  as 
often  as  he  did  it  he  playfully  rolled  over 
backward.  "Boys  will  be  boys"  even  in  the 
peril  of  battle.  In  the  meantime  Jeb  Stuart, 
temporarily  assigned  to  the  command  of  Jack 
son's  corps,  came  riding  into  the  field,  and  in  a 
spirit  not  unlike  that  of  the  boy  was  singing, 
"Old  Joe  Hooker,  won't  you  get  out  the 
wilderness?"  The  Yankee  battery  withdrew; 
the  battle  was  ended.  The  tavern  was  all 
ablaze,  having  been  ignited  by  one  of  our 
shells, — the  house  that  an  hour  before  had  been 
the  headquarters  of  General  Hooker.  Our 
army  was  resting  along  the  road  in  front  of  the 
burning  building.  As  General  Lee  rode  by, 


72     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

a  waggish  fellow  of  the  47*  said,  "General, 
we  are  too  tired  to  cheer  you  this  morning," 
and  he  pleasantly  replied,  "Well,  boys,  you 
have  gotten  glory  enough  for  one  day." 


CHAPTER  IX 

He  that  fights  and  runs  away 
May  turn  and  fight  another  day. 

—RAY. 

AFTER  the  lamented  death  of  General 
Jackson  the  divisions  of  the  Army  of 
Northern    Virginia    were    organized 
into  three  corps,  commanded,  respectively,  by 
Longstreet,  Ewell,  and  A.  P.  Hill.     General 
Heth  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Light  Division,  and  the  senior  colonel  of  the 
first  brigade,  John  M.  Brockenbrough  took 
the  command  made  vacant  by  Hem's  pro 
motion. 

In  forming  his  staff  Colonel  Brockenbrough 
selected  me  to  be  his  acting  assistant  adjutant- 
general.  As  this  new  sphere  of  duty  required 
that  I  should  have  a  horse,  and  as  it  was  useless 
to  search  for  one  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Fredericksburg,  I  sought  and  obtained  a  fur- 

73 


74     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

lough  in  order  that  I  might  seek  one  in  my 
native  county.  The  time  was  limited  to  five 
days, — not  long  enough,  as  Colonel  Brocken- 
brough  knew;  but  there  was  an  understanding 
between  us  that  if  I  overstayed  the  limit  noth 
ing  would  be  said  about  it. 

A  tramp  of  a  hundred  miles  was  before  me, 
but  that  was  a  matter  of  indifference  to  my 
buoyant  body  and  practiced  feet.  It  was  my 
intention  to  cross  the  river  at  Tappahannock, 
and  proceed  down  the  Neck  to  my  brother's 
home,  but  the  southern  bank  was  picketed  by 
the  1 5th  Virginia  cavalry,  which  prohibited 
my  passage.  Walking  back  into  the  town 
and  finding  Colonel  John  Critcher,  who  was 
in  command  of  the  regiment,  I  explained  my 
mission  and  requested  the  liberty  of  passing 
through  his  line.  He  informed  me  that  on 
the  other  side  the  8th  Illinois  cavalry  were 
making  a  raid,  and  urged  that  I  should  not 
cross  and  run  the  risk  of  being  captured. 
Telling  him  that  I  was  familiar  with  the 
country  and  that  I  would  avoid  the  enemy,  I 
persisted  in  the  request,  being  as  desirous  of 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     75 

a  horse  as  was  Richard  III  in  his  final  battle. 
Having  obtained  his  reluctant  written  per 
mission  I  decided  that  instead  of  crossing  at 
Tappahannock  I  would  walk  down  as  far  as 
Owen  Hill  in  Middlesex  county  and  thence 
seek  a  passage  over  into  Lancaster.  A 
negro,  whose  service  I  secured  in  return  for 
Confederate  money,  transported  me  in  a 
canoe,  and  landed  me  at  Morattico.  During 
the  passage  I  kept  a  sharp  lookout  up  and 
down  the  wide  river  for  Yankee  gunboats, 
fearing  that  even  if  I  should  escape  Scylla  I 
might  fall  into  Charybdis;  and  indeed  some 
of  the  marauding  bluecoats  had  but  recently 
departed  from  the  farm. 

Having  dined  with  the  hospitable  family, 
I  set  out  for  my  brother's  home  fifteen  miles 
away,  not  knowing  that  one  part  of  the  enemy 
was  encamped  on  his  farm  and  another  part 
in  the  yard.  Being  informed  that  the  hostile 
invaders  were  traversing  all  parts  of  the 
county  in  search  of  booty,  I  sought  to  evade 
them  by  walking  not  upon  the  familiar  roads 
but  in  the  woods  parallel  with  them.  When 


76     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

I  drew  near  the  county-seat,  instead  of  cross 
ing  the  road  as  prudence  suggested  I  thought 
I  would  walk  the  road  a  short  distance  and 
then  pass  over,  for  my  shoes  had  become  un 
comfortably  smooth  by  treading  on  the  fallen 
foliage  of  the  pines.  Rash  procedure! 

I  had  come  into  the  road  near  what  is 
called  "the  court-house  mill  hill,"  intending 
to  go  down,  cross  the  bridge,  and  turn  again 
into  the  woods  in  the  rear  of  the  village, 
scouting  as  I  proceeded.  When  I  had  come 
nearly  to  the  brow  of  the  hill,  I  met  a 
squadron  of  ascending  Federal  horsemen. 
If  I  had  been  two  minutes  earlier  and  they  as 
much  later  we  would  have  met  as  I  was  de 
scending  the  hill;  and  then  my  capture  would 
have  been  inevitable,  because  the  steep  banks 
on  either  side  would  have  precluded  all  hope 
of  escape.  I  heard  the  foremost  riders  say, 
"Here're  the  Rebels,  boys;  come  on."  I  did 
not  wait  to  see  more  than  their  heads  and 
breasts  as  they  were  coming  up  the  hill.  I 
was  in  my  full  uniform,  having  a  gray  over 
coat  on  my  shoulder  and  a  felt  hat  on  my 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     77 

head.  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  the  coat 
was  dropped,  and  the  hat  flew  off  as  I  made 
such  a  leap  into  the  friendly  forest  as  perhaps 
was  never  equaled  by  any  athlete  in  the  Olym 
pic  games.  I  had  no  time  to  become  fright 
ened,  but  I  was  angered  by  being  pursued 
on  my  native  soil  by  men  who  had  no 
right  to  invade  it.  It  is  a  wonder  that  they 
did  not  catch  me.  I  heard  them  swearing, 
crying  "Halt,"  and  firing  pistols.  Three 
things  favored  me:  the  trees  and  undergrowth 
were  coming  into  leaf,  I  was  fleet  of  foot,  and 
I  took  an  unsuspected  direction.  Instead  of 
running  at  right  angles  to  the  road,  or  ob 
liquely  backward,  I  ran  obliquely  forward, 
in  the  direction  from  which  they  had  come. 
When  I  was  nearly  out  of  breath,  I  stopped 
to  listen,  and  was  glad  to  hear  no  sounds  save 
those  that  were  made  by  my  thumping  heart. 
The  pursuit  had  ended,  and  I  lay  down  to 
rest  and  to  recover  my  wind, — not  unlike  the 
stag  that  had  been  chased  by  Fitz  James' 
hounds. 

In  a  little  while  rising  refreshed  from  my 


78     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

rest,  I  went  onward  and  crossing  the  mill 
stream  higher  up  than  I  had  purposed,  I  ar 
rived  at  the  residence  of  my  cousin  Robert. 
I  had  been  there  but  a  few  minutes  when  his 
wife,  who  had  glanced  up  the  lane,  cried  out, 
"Run,  run;  the  Yankees  are  coming!"  At 
the  first  utterance  of  the  word  "run,"  I  was 
making  rapid  tracks  for  the  forest  in  the  rear 
of  the  house;  but  before  I  reached  it  she 
called  me  back.  Two  of  the  Yankees  had 
been  there  before,  and  her  excited  imagina 
tion  had  mistaken  a  Rebel  officer  for  two 
more.  It  was  her  brother-in-law,  Ned 
Stakes,  major  of  the  4Oth  Virginia.  He 
and  I  then  set  out  for  a  place  near  Wicomico 
church,  where,  as  he  told  me,  a  few  Confed 
erates  were  in  hiding.  Having  spent  the 
night  with  them  in  the  forest,  we  were  in  the 
morning  informed  by  a  faithful  negro,  who 
had  been  acting  as  commissary,  that  the 
Yankees  had  all  gone.  Although  I  trusted 
his  report,  it  was  with  circumspection  that  I 
traveled  homeward. 

The  departed  Yankees  had  carried  away 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     79 

teams  and  wagons  loaded  with  plunder  from 
meat-houses,  barns,  and  cabins,  and  as  many 
of  the  negroes  as  desired  to  take  advantage  of 
"the  year  of  jubile?"  which  old  Spencer  said 
"had  come."  One  girl,  who  refused  to  de 
part,  was  thus  upbraided  by  her  father: 
"You's  a  fool,  gal,  not  to  go  where  there's  a 
plenty  to  eat  and  nothing  to  do."  That  regi 
ment  of  cavalry  had  robbed  my  brother,  and 
had  treated  many  other  peaceable  citizens  in 
the  same  way.  Large  was  the  booty  they 
carried  away,  and  long  was  the  train  of 
negroes,  horses,  and  loaded  wagons.  It  is 
said  that  "all  things  are  lawful  in  war";  but 
this  adage,  like  many  others,  sails  under 
false  colors.  War  is  lawless,  as  Cicero  ob 
served  :  "Silent  leges  inter  arma."  There  was 
neither  constitutional  nor  statute  law  that 
justified  the  invasion  of  the  South  by  armies 
from  the  North;  none  for  the  emancipation 
proclamation;  none  for  the  cruel  and  de 
structive  deeds  that  were  perpetrated  by  the 
Federal  armies. 

My  furlough  had  run  out,  and  my  object 


8o     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

was  yet  ungained.  The  next  day  I  found  a 
bay  horse  to  my  liking,  five  years  old,  large, 
tall,  and  strong,  named  John.  The  owner 
sold  him  to  me  for  Confederate  money,  know 
ing  that  the  sale  bore  close  resemblance  to  a 
gift.  After  a  night's  rest  I  set  out  for  the 
army.  Riding  in  the  wake  of  the  retiring 
sons  of  Illinois,  I  recrossed  the  river  at  Bow 
ler's,  and  on  the  second  day  rejoined  the 
brigade  near  Fredericksburg.  After  having 
been  chased  by  the  Yankees,  a  feeling  of 
safety  came  over  me  as  I  mingled  again  with 
my  veteran  companions. 

That  was  not  to  be  my  last  experience  with 
the  8th  Illinois.  It  was  they  who  in  less  than 
two  months  afterward  took  me  prisoner  in 
Maryland.  Some  of  them  were  riding  horses 
that  they  had  stolen, — no;  impressed, — from 
my  county.  They  showed  me  their  repeat 
ing  Spencer  'carbines,  and  asked  that  if  I 
should  be  exchanged  I  would  tell  the  9th 
Virginia  cavalry  that  they  would  be  glad  to 
meet  them.  The  lapse  of  fifty  years  has 
made  old  men  of  them  and  me.  I  have  for- 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     81 

given  the  wrongs  those  brave  fellows  inflicted 
on  my  country,  and  I  would  be  glad  to  meet 
them  to  talk  over  the  stirring  events  of  the 
past. 


CHAPTER  X 

Hand  to  hand,  and  foot  to  foot; 
Nothing  there,  save  death,  was  mute; 
Stroke,  and  thrust,  and  flash,  and  cry 
For  quarter,  or  for  victory, 
Mingled   with  the  volleying  thunder. 

— BYRON. 

I  COME  now  to  relate  my  experience  of 
the  disastrous  invasion  of  Pennsyl 
vania. 

The  first  week  in  June  the  commands  of 
Longstreet  and  Ewell  began  the  northward 
movement,  but  Hill's  corps  remained  at 
Fredericksburg  to  deceive  the  Federal  com 
mander  and  watch  his  movements.  It  was 
not  until  the  middle  of  the  month  that  Hooker 
divined  Lee's  purpose  and  withdrew  his  army 
from  our  front,  leaving  us  free  to  follow  the 
rest  of  the  army.  Marching  through  Cul- 
peper,  we  crossed  the  mountains  through 

Chester's  Gap  and  struck  out  for  the  ford  of 

82 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     83 

the  Potomac  at  Williamsport.  I  had  four 
times  waded  the  river,  but  this  time,  being  on 
horseback,  I  escaped  a  wetting  by  holding  my 
feet  high  on  the  saddle.  My  spirits  would 
not  have  been  so  light  and  gay,  if  I  could  have 
foreknown  that  I  should  not  lay  eyes  on  the 
river  again  until  the  war  should  be  over. 
Nothing  of  moment  occurred  while  we  passed 
across  Maryland  into  Pennsylvania. 

Tuesday  night,  June  30,  our  division 
bivouacked  near  Cashtown,  about  eight  miles 
northwest  of  Gettysburg.  The  next  morning 
Colonel  Brockenb rough  was  informed  that 
Pettigrew's  brigade  was  on  the  way  to  Gettys- 
burgh  to  obtain  shoes  for  the  men,  and  was 
ordered  to  follow  as  a  support  in  the  contin 
gency  of  need,  none  of  us  knowing  that  the 
advance  of  Meade's  army  occupied  a  strong 
position  between  us  and  the  town.  I  was 
riding  with  Colonel  Brockenbrough  at  the 
head  of  the  column  when  we  met  Pettigrew 
and  his  men  returning.  He  informed  us  that 
the  enemy  was  ahead  and  that  as  he  had  not 
received  orders  to  bring  on  an  engagement  he 


84     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

was  coming  back  to  report.  As  to  the  source 
of  his  information  I  had  no  doubt,  for  by  his 
side  was  a  man  on  horseback,  bearing  an  um 
brella,  and  dressed  in  a  suit  of  civil  clothes. 
After  a  brief  consultation  between  the  com 
manders  of  the  two  brigades  I  was  ordered  to 
ride  back  quickly  to  Heth's  headquarters,  re 
port  the  condition  of  affairs,  and  bring  back 
his  instructions.  With  a  brusque  manner, 
he  said,  "Tell  General  Pettigrew  not  to  butt 
too  hard,  or  he'll  butt  his  brains  out."  I 
translated  his  command  into  politer  terms, 
and  we  started  again  toward  Gettysburg, 
knowing  that  Heth  would  follow  with  the 
other  four  brigades  of  the  division. 

We  found  the  enemy  posted  on  a  ridge  just 
beyond  Willoughby's  Run,  and  deploying  on 
both  sides  of  the  road  we  went  into  the  en 
gagement.  We  had  the  honor, — if  honor  it 
may  be  called, — of  losing  and  shedding  the 
first  blood  in  one  of  the  most  famous  battles 
of  the  world.  In  war  things  sometimes  just 
happen:  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  came  into  col- 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     85 

lision  at  a  place  where  neither  commander 
designed  a  general  engagement.  Fender's 
division  formed  on  the  right  of  Heth's  and 
both  pressed  forward  in  the  face  of  volleying 
musketry  and  thundering  cannon.  We  found 
out  afterward  that  the  opposing  force  con 
sisted  of  the  three  divisions  of  the  First  Corps 
under  the  command  of  General  Reynolds. 
Right  bravely  did  they  fight,  and  being 
driven  from  the  ridge  they  formed  again  on 
Seminary  Ridge,  determined  to  hold  it.  As 
our  men,  on  the  other  hand,  were  no  less  de 
termined  to  take  it,  the  contest  became  furious 
and  slaughterous.  Our  loss  was  heavy,  but 
did  not  equal  that  which  we  inflicted.  At 
last  they  gave  way,  and  we  pursued  them  to 
the  edge  of  the  town,  through  the  streets  of 
which  they  hastened  until  they  lodged  among 
the  rocky  fastness  of  Cemetery  Ridge.  I 
was  in  all  the  great  battles,  from  Seven  Pines 
to  Chancellorsville,  but  never  had  I  witnessed 
a  fight  so  hot  and  stubborn.  On  a  field  of 
battle  the  dead  and  mortally  wounded  are 
usually  scattered  promiscuously  on  the 


86     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

ground,  but  here  I  counted  more  than  fifty 
fallen  heroes  lying  in  a  straight  line.  They 
belonged,  as  well  as  I  now  remember,  to  the 
1 5oth  Pennsylvania.  When  a  regiment  stands 
its  ground  until  it  suffers  so  great  a  loss,  it 
deserves  honor  for  its  courage,  for  the 
wounded  must  have  numbered  as  many  as  two 
hundred  and  fifty.  It  is  a  rare  thing  that  a 
regiment  loses  so  many  men  in  one  engage 
ment. 

At  the  same  time  that  we  were  struggling 
with  the  First  Corps  of  Meade's  army  the 
divisions  of  Rhodes  and  Early  on  our  left 
were  driving  the  Eleventh  Corps  before  them. 
But  of  the  gallant  part  they  bore  in  the  battle 
I  make  no  mention,  inasmuch  as  I  am  not 
writing  a  general  history,  but  only  jotting 
down  the  things  I  saw,  a  small  part  of  which 
I  was. 

When  the  battle  had  ended  and  the  brigade 
was  standing  in  line  close  to  the  town,  Colonel 
Brockenbrough  and  I  occupied  positions  in 
rear  of  the  line;  and  near  us  were  Capt. 
Austin  Brockenbrough  and  Lt.  Addison  Hall 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     87 

Crittenden.  First  one  and  then  the  other  of 
these  two  gallant  officers  fell  mortally 
wounded,  although  no  Yankee  was  in  sight. 
It  was  the  work  of  sharpshooters  concealed  in 
a  large  wooden  building  on  our  left.  I  took 
the  liberty  of  causing  a  company  to  fire  a  vol 
ley  into  the  house  and  that  put  a  stop  to  the 
murderous  villainy. 

It  was  nearly  midnight  when  the  brigade 
fell  back  a  short  distance  to  seek  some  rest 
after  the  severe  toils  of  the  day;  but  notwith 
standing  the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  our 
tired  condition  I  proposed  to  Colonel  Brock- 
enbrough  that  we  should  look  up  these  two 
men  who  were  especially  dear  to  us,  for  Aus 
tin  was  his  cousin  and  Addison  was  mine. 
We  knew  that  they  had  been  carried  on 
stretchers  from  the  place  where  they  had  been 
wounded.  Our  only  guides  as  we  slowly 
rode  along  in  the  dark  were  the  fires  that  in 
dicated  the  location  of  the  improvised  hos 
pitals  of  the  numerous  brigades.  Inquiring 
our  way,  we  at  last  came  to  the  hospital  of  our 
brigade  where  Mr.  Meredith,  chaplain  of  the 


88     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

47th,  conducted  us  to  our  friends  who  were 
lying  upon  pallets  of  straw.  They  knew  that 
their  wounds  were  mortal,  but  they  faced 
"the  last  enemy"  with  the  same  intrepidity 
they  had  manifested  on  many  a  sanguinary 
field.  If  I  had  yielded  to  my  emotions,  I 
would  have  wept  over  Addison  even  as  a 
woman  weeps.  He  was  named  for  my 
mother's  only  brother;  he  was  pure  in  heart; 
and  while  he  was  gentle  and  sweet  in  manners 
and  disposition,  he  was  as  brave  as  any  man 
who  followed  Lee  across  the  Potomac. 

By  some  critics  General  Lee  has  been  cen 
sured  because  he  did  not  continue  the  battle 
and  attempt  to  capture  Cemetery  Ridge  on 
the  evening  of  the  first  day.  I  think  that  the 
criticism  is  unjust;  for,  in  the  first  place,  the 
attempt  would  have  been  of  doubtful  issue, 
and  then  if  he  had  tried  and  succeeded,  what 
advantage  would  have  been  gained?  It  was 
clearly  Meade's  role  to  act  on  the  defensive 
and  select  the  arena  upon  which  the  decisive 
contest  must  be  waged.  If  Cemetery  Ridge 
had  been  taken,  instead  of  hurrying  his  other 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     89 

corps  to  that  position  to  form  a  junction  with 
the  First  and  Eleventh,  he  would  have  retired 
behind  Pipe  Creek,  or  chosen  some  other 
ground  as  easily  tenable  as  Cemetery  Ridge. 
The  state  of  things  was  such  that  Lee  could 
not  retreat  without  a  general  engagement,  and 
he  could  not  enter  upon  it  except  upon  dis 
advantageous  conditions.  The  tables  were 
turned:  as  the  Yankees  had  fought  at  Fred- 
ericksburg,  so  the  Rebels  had  to  fight  in 
Pennsylvania. 

On  the  second  day  Heth's  division  was  not 
engaged,  but  occupied  the  ground  near  that 
on  which  it  had  fought  the  day  before,  close 
by  the  seminary  in  which  General  Lee  had 
his  headquarters.  In  the  afternoon  while 
Longstreet's  corps  was  furiously  fighting  to 
wrest  Little  Round  Top  from  the  enemy,  he 
came  unattended  to  where  I  was  standing. 
Looking  down  the  valley  of  Plum  Run, 
which  separated  the  armies,  there  could  be 
seen  the  flashing  of  the  guns  under  the  pall  of 
smoke  that  covered  the  combatants.  Now 
and  then  making  a  slight  change  of  position 


90     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

he  viewed  the  scene  through  his  field-glass. 
His  noble  face  was  not  lit  up  with  a  smile  as 
it  was  when  I  saw  it  after  the  victory  at 
Chancellorsville,  but  bore  the  expression  of 
painful  anxiety.  Ah,  if  only  his  men  could 
seize  and  hold  that  coveted  elevation!  It 
was  the  key  to  the  situation,  and  victory  would 
have  been  assured.  But  that  battle  was  lost, 
although  the  divisions  of  Longstreet  per 
formed  prodigies  of  valor.  Then  and  there 
the  issue  was  decided. 

That  night  Heth's  division  moved  farther 
to  the  right.  Being  directed  by  Colonel 
Brockenbrough  to  ride  ahead  and  pick  out  a 
place  for  his  brigade,  I  went  forward  in  the 
darkness,  ignorant  of  the  lay  of  the  land,  until 
the  command  to  halt  was  given  to  me  in  an 
undertone.  I  did  not  see  the  man,  but  was 
informed  that  I  was  just  about  to  ride  through 
the  line  of  Confederate  skirmishers,  and  was 
cautioned  to  ride  back  as  quietly  as  I  could, 
because  the  Yankee  skirmishers  were  not  far 
in  front. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  July,  although 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     91 

Ewell's  corps  on  the  left  had  waged  a  bloody 
but  unsuccessful  battle,  not  a  shot  was  fired  by 
Hill's  corps  in  the  center,  nor  by  Longstreet's 
on  the  right;  but  the  final  struggle  was  yet  to 
be  made.  More  than  a  hundred  cannon 
were  placed  in  position,  along  the  line  of 
which  lay  the  eighteen  thousand  men,  who 
had  been  selected  to  make  the  assault  upon 
Cemetery  Ridge.  Before  the  firing  began 
Colonel  Brockenbrough  told  me  that  when 
the  cannonading  should  cease  we  should 
make  the  charge. 

About  one  o'clock  the  guns  opened,  and 
for  two  dreadful  hours  pounded  the  adver 
sary's  position,  being  answered  by  almost  as 
many  of  his  guns.  There  has  never  been 
such  a  war  of  artillery  on  the  American  con 
tinent.  Surely  this  was  an  exhibition  of  the 
"Pride,  pomp,  and  circumstance  of  glorious 
War."  It  was  hoped  that  so  terrible  a  bom 
bardment  would  demoralize  the  enemy  and 
thus  prepare  the  way  for  a  successful  on 
slaught  of  the  infantry.  During  its  continu 
ance  we  lay  among  the  guns,  and  as  soon  as 


92     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

their  clamor  hushed  sprang  to  our  feet  and 
began  rushing  toward  the  enemy.  We  had 
to  descend  the  slope  of  Seminary  Ridge,  cross 
a  valley,  and  ascend  the  steep  slope  of  Ceme 
tery  Ridge,  a  distance  of  nearly  a  mile.  If 
while  we  were  crossing  the  valley  the  artillery 
behind  us  had  been  firing  at  the  enemy  over 
our  heads,  our  task  would  have  been  less  dan 
gerous  and  more  hopeful,  but  unwisely  and 
unfortunately  the  caissons  had  become  almost 
exhausted.  As  we  were  ascending  the  emi 
nence,  where  cannon  thundered  in  our  faces 
and  infantry  four  lines  deep  stood  ready  to 
deliver  their  volleys,  I  noticed  that  the  line 
of  the  Confederates  resembled  the  arc  of  a 
circle;  in  other  words,  the  right  and  the  left 
were  more  advanced  than  the  center,  and 
were,  therefore,  the  first  to  become  engaged. 
Brockenbrough's  brigade  formed  the  extreme 
left  of  the  attacking  column. 

The  fame  of  Pickett's  charge  on  the  right 
has  resounded  through  the  world.  The  Vir 
ginians  on  the  left  achieved  less  glory,  but 
they  did  their  best.  We  came  so  close  to  the 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     93 

serried  ranks  of  the  Yankees  that  I  emptied 
my  revolver  upon  them,  and  we  were  still 
advancing  when  they  threw  forward  a 
column  to  attack  our  unprotected  left  flank. 
I  feel  no  shame  in  recording  that  out  of  this 
corner  the  men  without  waiting  for  orders 
turned  and  fled,  for  the  bravest  soldiers  can 
not  endure  to  be  shot  at  simultaneously  from 
the  front  and  side.  They  knew  that  to  re 
main,  or  to  advance,  meant  wholesale  death 
or  captivity.  The  Yankees  had  a  fair  oppor 
tunity  to  kill  us  all,  and  why  they  did  not  do 
it  I  cannot  tell.  Our  loss  was  less  than  it 
was  in  the  first  day's  battle.  As  in  our 
orderly  and  sullen  retreat  we  were  ascending 
the  ridge  from  which  we  had  set  out,  I  heard 
the  men  saying  mournfully,  "If  Old  Jack  had 
been  here,  it  wouldn't  have  been  like  this"; 
and  though  I  said  nothing  I  entertained  the 
same  opinion. 

Suppose  he  had  been  there  to  turn  the 
enemy's  left  flank  as  he  did  at  Games'  Mill, 
and  again  at  Chancellorsville! 

As  I  look  back  upon  that  final  assault  at 


94     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

Gettysburg,  it  seems  strange  to  me  that  Gen 
eral  Lee  should  have  sent  eighteen  thousand 
men  to  dislodge  a  hundred  thousand  from  a 
position  much  stronger  than  that  which  Well 
ington  occupied  at  Waterloo.  Perhaps  he 
miscalculated  the  effect  of  the  cannonade; 
perhaps  he  reposed  too  much  confidence  in 
his  soldiers.  When  all  was  over  he  found  no 
fault  with  them,  but  most  magnanimously 
took  the  blame  of  defeat  upon  himself  and 
endured  great  mental  suffering.  Adverse 
criticism  is  swallowed  up  in  sympathy  for 
that  peerless  man. 

It  was  a  drawn  battle.  The  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia  had  not  been  beaten,  but 
it  had  failed  in  the  attempt  to  beat  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac.  All  day  long  on  the  4th  of 
July  it  remained  in  view  of  Meade's  army, 
but  he  dared  not  assail  it. 

There  was  nothing  left  but  to  return  to 
Virginia.  On  the  night  of  the  4th  of  July 
the  army  began  to  retreat,  and  on  the  yth  it 
halted  near  Hagerstown  and  offered  battle, 
which  Meade  refused.  It  seems  to  me  that 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     95 

he  did  not  press  the  pursuit  as  closely  and 
fiercely  as  he  might  have  done;  perhaps  he 
was  respecting  the  valor  that  he  had  lately 
witnessed. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  prison  is  a  house  of  care, 
A  place  where  none  can  thrive, 
A  touchstone  true  to  try  a  friend, 
A  grave  for  men  alive. 
— Inscription  on  the  Old  Prison  of  Edinburg. 

AFTER  falling  back  from  Hagers- 
town  the  army  took  up  a  strong  posi 
tion  near  the  Potomac,  extending  from 
Williamsport  to  Falling  Waters.  On  the 
night  of  the  i3th  of  July  the  retreat  to  Vir 
ginia  began.  The  division  of  Heth  and  that 
of  Fender,  now  commanded  by  Pettigrew, 
marched  all  night  long  in  a  drenching  rain 
and  over  a  very  muddy  road  toward  Falling 
Waters,  where  the  engineers  had  constructed 
a  pontoon  bridge  across  the  river.  When  the 
morning  dawned  we  were  about  two  miles 
from  the  river,  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  there 
was  no  reason  why  we  should  not  have  kept 

on  and  followed  the  rest  of  the  army  over  the 

96 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     97 

bridge.  Instead  of  that  we  halted  and 
formed  in  line  of  battle  across  the  road,  fac 
ing  northward,  Heth  on  the  right  and  Petti- 
grew  on  the  left,  well  located  for  defense, 
being  on  rising  ground  and  having  a  valley 
in  front.  It  was  supposed  that  our  cavalry 
were  between  us  and  the  enemy,  (which  was 
a  false  supposition,)  and,  contrary  to  well- 
established  military  rules,  no  skirmishers 
were  sent  to  the  front.  The  command  was 
given  to  stack  arms  and  rest,  and  the  men  ex 
hausted  by  fatigue  lay  down  on  the  wet 
ground  behind  the  line  of  muskets  and  soon 
went  to  sleep.  The  guns  were  wet  and 
muddy  and  many  of  them  were  either  un 
loaded  or  unfit  for  action.  Giving  my  horse 
to  Charles  to  be  held  in  the  rear  until  called 
for,  I  too  fell  asleep.  We  were  in  no  condi 
tion  for  anything  except  the  surprise  that 
startled  us  from  our  transitory  slumbers. 

We  were  awakened  by  the  firing  of  the 
enemy.  By  the  time  that  the  muskets  could 
be  retaken  from  the  stack,  squadrons  of 
cavalry  were  upon  us.  These  were  easily  re- 


98     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

pulsed,  not,  however,  until  riding  down  in 
front  of  our  line  they  had  mortally  wounded 
General  Pettigrew  at  the  head  of  his  division. 
General  Heth,  riding  rapidly  along  behind 
our  line,  was  crying  out,  "Keep  cool,  men, 
keep  cool!"  But  judging  from  the  tone  of 
his  voice  and  his  manner  of  riding,  he  seemed 
to  me  to  be  the  only  hot  man  on  the  field. 

The  color-bearer  of  the  47th  exclaimed, 
"Come  on,  boys;  it's  nothing  but  cavalry," 
and  ran  forward  into  the  valley,  showing 
more  bravery  than  intelligence  or  discipline, 
for  infantry  does  not  charge  cavalry,  and  he 
had  no  right  to  advance  without  an  order. 
The  color-bearers  of  the  other  regiments  of 
the  brigades,  not  to  be  outdone,  likewise  ad 
vanced,  and  some  of  the  bolder  spirits  fol 
lowed  their  respective  flags.  This  action  was 
so  unwise  that  I  requested  Colonel  Brocken- 
brough  to  authorize  me  to  recall  these  brave 
fellows  to  their  original  and  better  position; 
but,  to  my  surprise,  he  directed  me  to  order 
all  the  men  to  join  their  colors;  and  this  I 
tried  to  do,  but  the  men  would  not  obey,  say- 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     99 

ing  that  their  muskets  were  unfit  for  action. 
However,  I  went  myself,  though  Colonel 
Brockenbrough  and  many  men  of  the  brigade 
remained  behind.  I  never  saw  him  again. 

A  spirited  contest  ensued,  which  I  shall 
dignify  with  the  name  of  the  battle  of  Fall 
ing  Waters,  for  a  real  battle  it  was,  although 
it  is  not  mentioned  in  the  histories  that  I  have 
read,  and  the  number  engaged  was  small. 
On  one  side  were  portions  of  the  four  regi 
ments  of  Brockenbrough's  brigade,  with  their 
bullet-pierced  battle  flags,  and  on  the  other 
side  were  dismounted  men  of  the  8th  Illinois 
cavalry  regiment  armed  with  their  seven- 
shooting  carbines.  There  were  officers  pres 
ent  who  held  higher  rank  than  mine,  but,  as 
they  knew  me  to  be  of  the  brigade  staff,  they 
permitted  me  to  exercise  authority  over  the 
entire  force.  For  an  hour  we  held  the  Yan 
kees  in  check  at  close  quarters. 

While  the  action  was  in  progress  I  ob 
served  that  one  of  our  enemies  was  protected 
by  a  large  tree  in  the  field,  from  behind  which 
he  stepped  frequently  and  quickly  to  fire 


ioo     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

upon  us.  As  he  seemed  to  be  taking  special 
aim  at  me,  I  requested  one  of  our  men,  who 
had  a  beautiful  Colt's  rifle,  to  give  me  his 
gun,  and  I  shot  at  the  man  the  next  time  he 
emerged  from  behind  his  natural  protection. 
He  was  not  killed,  but  he  darted  back  with 
out  shooting.  I  handed  back  the  gun.  Then, 
with  my  right  arm  around  the  man,  I  was 
with  my  left  arm  pointing  out  the  enemy 
when  he  fired  at  us  and  broke  the  arm  of  my 
comrade  that  was  pressed  between  us. 

Seeing  another  regiment  of  cavalry  in 
front,  hearing  their  bugle  sound  the  charge, 
and  knowing  that  our  ammunition  was  nearly 
exhausted,  I  directed  all  the  men  to  retire  as 
quickly  as  possible  to  their  former  position. 
I  had  not  once  looked  back,  and  I  supposed 
that  the  two  divisions  were  where  we  had  left 
them;  but  they,  taking  advantage  of  our  de 
fense,  had  gone  across  the  river.  All  of  a 
sudden  it  flashed  through  my  mind  that  we 
could  neither  fight  nor  run.  Further  resist 
ance  was  vain;  escape,  impossible.  I  felt 
angry  because  we  had  been  sacrificed,  and 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     101 

chagrined  because  we  were  about  to  be  cap 
tured.  I  had  known  all  along  that  I  might 
be  killed  or  wounded,  but  it  had  never  en 
tered  my  mind  that  I  might  be  made  a 
prisoner.  As  we  were  scattered  upon  the 
field  and  the  squadrons  came  charging  among 
us,  a  group  of  men  gathered  about  me  were 
asking,  "Captain,  what  shall  we  do?" 
"Stand  still,"  I  replied,  "and  cast  your  mus 
kets  upon  the  ground."  At  the  same  time 
I  unbuckled  my  useless  pistol  and  sword  and 
cast  them  from  me.  After  we  had  surrend 
ered,  I  regretfully  record  that  a  cavalryman 
discharged  his  pistol  in  our  midst,  but  for 
tunately  no  one  of  us  was  struck.  An  officer, 
indignant  at  an  act  so  cowardly  and  barbarous, 
threatened  him  with  death  if  he  should  do 
the  like  again.  That  day  the  Yankees  cap 
tured  on  this  field  and  in  other  places  about 
thirty-five  officers  and  seven  hundred  men. 

The  prisoners  were  escorted  to  the  rear, 
huddled  together,  and  surrounded  by  a 
cordon  of  armed  men.  That  night  I  slept 
with  Lt.  W.  Peyton  Moncure  on  the  blanket 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

of  one  prisoner  and  covered  by  that  of  the 
other.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  as 
I  was  standing  near  the  living  wall  that  sur 
rounded  us  engaged  in  conversation  with  Col. 
William  S.  Christian,  of  the  55th  Virginia, 
and  Capt.  Lee  Russell,  of  North  Carolina, 
some  Federal  officers  approached  and  began 
to  talk  with  us.  One  of  them  was  the  colonel 
of  a  New  York  regiment,  (I  think  it  was  the 
i22d)  ;  another  was  the  captain  of  one  of  his 
companies,  and  another  was  an  officer  on  the 
staff  of  General  Meade.  The  Colonel  in 
vited  us  to  take  supper  with  him  and  some  of 
his  friends,  and  the  kind  and  unexpected  pro 
posal  was  gladly  accepted,  for  recently  we 
had  had  nothing  but  hard-tack  to  satiate  our 
hunger.  At  sunset  he  sent  a  guard  to  con 
duct  us  to  his  tent,  which  was  large  and  com 
fortable.  We  found  the  table  well  supplied 
with  a  variety  of  savory  eatables,  and  we  were 
struck  by  the  contrast  of  the  tent  and  the 
table  with  those  of  the  Rebels. 

The  Blue  and  the  Gray  gathered  around 
that  hospitable  board  as  gleeful  as  boys,  and 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     103 

as  friendly  as  men  who  had  been  companions 
from  childhood.  The  supper  being  ended,  a 
polite  negro  who  looked  like  an  Old  Virginia 
darky,  and  who  acted  in  the  two-fold  ca 
pacity*  of  cook  and  butler,  cleared  away  the 
dishes  and  supplied  their  place  with  cigars 
and  bottles  of  liquor  of  several  varieties. 
More  than  once  or  twice  the  bottles  passed 
from  hand  to  hand,  and  in  order  to  prevent 
drunkenness  I  was  cautious  to  pour  very 
sparingly  into  my  tumbler.  In  the  midst  of 
this  hilarious  scene  our  Yankee  host  proposed 
a  health  to  President  Lincoln,  which  we  of 
the  Gray  declined  to  drink;  whereupon  I  of 
fered  to  substitute  a  joint  health  to  Abe  Lin 
coln  and  Jeff.  Davis,  which  they  of  the  Blue 
rejected.  I  then  proposed  the  toast,  "The 
early  termination  of  the  war  to  the  satisfac 
tion  of  all  concerned,"  and  that  was  cordially 
drunk  by  all.  It  was  nearly  midnight  when 
the  Colonel  told  us  that  if  we  would  promise 
to  go  back  and  deliver  ourselves  up,  he  would 
not  call  a  guard  to  escort  us ;  and  we  gave  him 
our  word,  and  bade  him  good  night.  There 


104     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

we  were  in  the  darkness,  our  limbs  unfettered, 
our  hearts  longing  for  freedom,  no  Yankee 
eye  upon  us;  and  it  is  not  strange  that  there 
flitted  across  our  minds  the  temptation  to 
steal  away  and  strike  out  for  Virginia;  but 
though  our  bodies  were  for  the  moment  free, 
our  souls  were  bound  by  something  stronger 
than  manacles  of  steel, — our  word  of  honor. 
We  groped  our  way  back,  entered  the  circle 
of  soldiers  who  were  guarding  our  fellow- 
prisoners,  and  went  to  sleep  on  the  ground, 
while  our  late  entertainers  reposed  upon 
comfortable  cots. 

The  next  morning,  July  16,  we  were  hur 
ried  along  by  an  unfeeling  cavalry  escort  to 
a  station  near  Harper's  Ferry,  and  there  put 
into  box  cars  strongly  guarded.  On  our 
arrival  in  Washington  we  were  conducted 
along  the  streets  to  the  Old  Capitol  prison. 
"To  what  vile  uses"  had  that  building  come! 
It  was  superintended  by  a  renegade  Vir 
ginian,  whose  name  I  am  not  sorry  that  I 
have  forgotten;  but  let  me  do  him  the  justice 
to  say  that  he  behaved  courteously  and  gave 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     105 

us  a  plenty  to  eat.  The  guard  of  the  prison 
was  the  lySth  New  York  regiment,  composed 
of  insolent  Germans,  some  of  whom  could 
not  speak  the  English  language.  I  came 
near  losing  my  life  by  the  bayonet  of  one  of 
them,  because  he  could  not  understand  a  re 
quest  that  I  made  of  him.  The  house  was 
infested  by  insects  whose  name  I  will  not  call; 
but  the  reader  will  recognize  their  nature 
when  I  characterize  them  as  malodorous, 
and  blood-sucking.  We  could  expel  them 
from  our  bunks,  but  not  from  the  walls  and 
the  ceiling,  from  the  holes  and  the  cracks  of 
which  they  swarmed  at  night,  rendering 
sound  sleep  impossible. 

In  a  few  days  after  having  taken  involun 
tary  quarters  in  the  Old  Capitol  I  read  with 
surprise  and  grief  an  article  in  the  Baltimore 
American,  headed  "Meade  versus  Lee." 
General  Lee,  misinformed  by  somebody,  had 
reported  that  there  had  been  no  battle  at 
Falling  Waters,  and  that  none  of  his  soldiers 
had  been  captured  except  those  who  had 
straggled  during  the  night  or  fallen  asleep  in 


106     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

barns  by  the  roadside.  When  he  published 
that  statement  he  knew  that  there  had  been 
no  engagement  of  his  ordering,  but  he  did 
not  know  that  the  gallant  and  accomplished 
Pettigrew  had  been  wounded  on  the  field,  nor 
that  some  of  his  men  had  kept  the  enemy  in 
check,  while  others  were  thereby  afforded  the 
opportunity  of  safely  crossing  the  river. 
No;  the  men  who  were  captured  with  me 
were  not  stragglers:  they  were  taken  on  the 
field  of  battle,  and  they  were  as  brave  and 
dutiful  as  any  that  ever  wore  the  gray. 
Neither  was  General  Meade's  report  strictly 
correct,  but  it  corresponded  more  closely  with 
the  facts.  He  did  not  capture  a  brigade,  as 
he  said,  but  he  did  take  the  flags  of  Brocken- 
brough's  brigade,  and  enough  men  of  other 
commands  to  form  one. 

During  the  whole  term  of  my  imprison 
ment  I  anxiously  longed  to  be  exchanged, 
being  willing  any  day  to  swap  incarceration 
for  the  toils  and  dangers  of  active  military 
service.  In  the  early  part  of  the  war  there 
were  some  partial  exchanges,  but  as  it  was 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     107 

prolonged  the  government  at  Washington  re 
jected  all  overtures  for  a  cartel.     Through 
out  the  North  there  were  raised  loud  and 
false  reports  that  Federal  soldiers  in  South 
ern  prisons  were  being  wantonly  maltreated, 
while  the  National  Government  might  have 
restored    them    to    freedom    and    plenty   by 
agreeing  to   the  exchange  of  prisoners  that 
was    urged    repeatedly   by   the    Confederate 
Government.     The  refusal  was  an  evidence 
of  the  straits  to  which  the  Union  was  pushed, 
and   an   act  of  injustice  and  cruelty  to   the 
prisoners  of  both  sides.     It  was,  moreover, 
an  undesigned  but  exalted  testimony  to  the 
valor  of  Southern  soldiers,  for  it  was  as  if 
Mr.  Stanton,  the  secretary  of  war,  had  said 
to  every  man  in  the  Federal  armies:  "If  in 
the  fortunes  of  war  you  should  be  captured, 
you  must  run  the  risk  of  death  in  a  rebel 
prison.     I  will  not  give  a  Southern  soldier 
for  you, — you  are  not  worth  the  exchange." 
Gen.  Grant  said:  "Our  men  must  suffer  for 
the  good  of  those  who  are  contending  with 
the  terrible  Lee;"  and  ignoring  the  claims 


io8     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

of  humanity  and  the  usages  of  honorable  war 
fare,  he  lowered  the  question  to  a  cold  com 
mercial  level  when  he  declared  that  it  was 
"cheaper  to  feed  rebel  prisoners  than  to  fight 
them." 


CHAPTER  XII 

But  now  we  are  in  prison  and  likely  long  to  stay, 
The  Yankees  they  are  guarding  us,  no  hope  to  get  away; 
Our  rations  they  are  scanty,  'tis  cold  enough  to  freeze, — 
I  wish  I  was  in  Georgia,  eating  goober  peas. 

Peas,  peas,  peas,  peas, 

Eating  goober  peas; 
I  wish  I  was  in  Georgia,  eating  goober  peas. 

— Stanza  of  a  Prison  Song. 

ONLY  about  two  weeks  did  we  abide  in 
the  Old   Capitol,   the  officers  being 
transported  to  Johnson's  Island,  and 
the  privates  to  other  prisons.     Our  route  was 
by  Harrisburg,  and  as  the  train  was  leaving 
the  city  it  jumped  the  track,  jolting  horribly 
on  the  cross-ties,  but  inflicting  no  serious  in 
jury. 

The     Sandusky     river     before     it     passes 
through   its   narrow  mouth   into   Lake   Erie 

widens  into  a  beautiful  bay  about  four  miles 

109 


i  io     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

wide.  In  this  bay  is  situated  Johnson's 
Island,  low  and  level,  and  containing  three 
hundred  acres.  It  is  not  in  the  middle  of  the 
bay,  but  is  on  the  north  side,  half  a  mile  from 
the  main  land,  while  on  the  other  side  it  is 
three  or  more  miles  from  the  city  of  Sandusky 
across  the  water. 

The  prison  walls  enclosed  a  quadrangular 
space  of  several  acres,  the  southern  wall  run 
ning  along  the  margin  of  the  bay  and  facing 
Sandusky.  They  were  framed  of  wooden 
beams,  on  the  outer  side  of  which,  three  feet 
from  the  top,  there  was  a  narrow  platform  on 
which  the  guard  kept  continual  watch. 
Thirty  feet  from  the  wall  all  around  on  the 
inside  there  was  driven  a  row  of  whitewashed 
stobs,  beyond  which  no  prisoner  was  allowed 
to  go  on  pain  of  being  shot  by  the  sentinels. 
At  night  the  entire  space  within  was  illumi 
nated  by  lamps  and  reflectors  fixed  against 
the  walls. 

Within  the  walls  there  were  eleven  large 
wooden  buildings  of  uniform  size,  two  stories 
high.  The  first  four  were  partitioned  into 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     in 

small  rooms,  and  were  sheathed;  the  re 
maining  seven  had  two  rooms  on  each  floor, 
and  they  afforded  no  protection  against 
the  weather  except  the  undressed  clapboards 
that  covered  them.  In  each  house  the  upper 
story  was  reached  by  an  outside  flight  of 
steps.  In  the  larger  rooms  some  sixty  or 
seventy  men  were  huddled  together.  Around 
the  sides  bunks  were  framed  on  pieces  of 
scantling  that  extended  from  floor  to  ceiling, 
arranged  in  three  tiers,  so  that  a  floor  space 
of  six  feet  by  four  sufficed  for  six  men.  My 
cotton  tick  was  never  refilled,  and  after  doing 
service  for  many  months  it  became  flat  and 
hard.  Our  quarters  and  accommodations 
were  such  as  the  Yankees  thought  good 
enough  for  rebels  and  traitors,  but  in  summer 
we  were  uncomfortably  and  unhealthily 
crowded,  and  in  winter  we  suffered  from  the 
cold,  because  one  stove  could  not  warm  so 
large  and  windy  an  apartment.  Many  a 
winter  night,  instead  of  undressing,  I  put  an 
old  worn  overcoat  over  the  clothes  I  had 
worn  during  the  day. 


ii2     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

At  first  I  "put  up"  in  block  No.  9,  after 
ward  in  No.  8,  and  toward  the  end  of  my  im 
prisonment  in  No.  3,  which  was  much  more 
comfortable. 

In  summer,  water  was  obtained  from  a 
shallow  well,  but  in  winter,  when  the  bay  was 
frozen,  a  few  men  from  each  mess  were  per 
mitted  to  go  out  of  the  gate  in  the  afternoon 
and  dip  uo  better  water  from  holes  cut 
through  the  ice.  On  these  occasions  a  strong 
guard  extended  around  the  prisoners  from 
one  side  of  the  gate  to  the  other. 

From  the  time  of  my  capture  until  the  fall 
of  the  year  the  rations  were  fairly  good  and 
sufficient,  but  then  they  were  mercilessly  re 
duced,  upon  the  pretext  of  retaliation  for  the 
improper  treatment  of  Union  prisoners  in  the 
South.  The  bread  and  meat  rations  were  di 
minished  by  a  half,  while  coffee,  sugar, 
candles,  and  other  things  were  no  longer  sup 
plied.  We  did  our  own  cooking,  the  men 
of  each  mess  taking  it  by  turns,  but  the  bread 
was  baked  in  ovens  outside  and  was  brought 
in  a  wagon  every  morning.  A  pan  of  four 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     113 

loaves  was  the  daily  allowance  for  sixteen 
men.  When  I  got  my  fourth  of  a  loaf  in  the 
morning  I  usually  divided  it  into  three  slices, 
of  which  one  was  immediately  eaten  and  the 
others  reserved  for  dinner  and  supper;  but 
when  the  time  came  for  the  closing  meal  I 
had  no  bread,  for  hunger  had  previously 
claimed  it  all.  But  for  some  clothes,  provi 
sions,  and  money  that  were  sent  to  me  by  kind 
friends  residing  in  Kentucky  and  Maryland 
I  think  that  I  could  not  have  lived  to  wit 
ness  the  end  of  the  war.  There  was  not 
enough  nutriment  in  the  daily  ration  to  sup 
port  vigorous  health,  and  it  was  barely  suffi 
cient  to  sustain  life.  I  believe  that  a  few  of 
the  prisoners  succumbed  to  disease  and  died 
because  they  had  an  insufficiency  of  nourish 
ing  food.  Bones  were  picked  from  ditches, 
if  perchance  there  might  be  upon  them  a 
morsel  of  meat.  I  was  begged  for  bread, 
when  I  was  hungry  for  the  want  of  it.  All 
the  rats  were  eaten  that  could  be  caught  in 
traps  ingeniously  contrived.  When  prejudice 
is  overcome  by  gnawing  hunger,  a  fat  rat 


1 14     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

makes  good  eating,  as  I  know  from  actual 
and  enjoyable  mastication. 

For  a  time  we  were  permitted  to  obtain  the 
news  of  the  outside  world  through  the  New 
York  World  and  the  Baltimore  Gazette,  but 
these  were  suppressed;  and  then  we  had  to 
depend  upon  a  little  Sandusky  sheet  and  the 
Baltimore  American,  which  vilified  the 
South  and  claimed  for  every  battle  a  Union 
victory. 

How  did  we  while  the  time  away?  Well, 
we  organized  a  minstrel  band,  singing  clubs, 
and  debating  societies;  we  had  occasional  lec 
tures  and  exchanged  books  in  a  so-called 
reading  room;  we  had  two  rival  base-ball 
teams,  and  we  played  the  indoor  games  of 
chess,  checkers,  cards,  and  dominoes.  I 
spent  much  time  in  reading  the  Bible,  besides 
some  of  Scott's  novels  and  the  charming  story 
of  Picciola. 

On  Sunday  there  were  Bible  classes,  and 
sometimes  sermons  by  men  who  had  gone 
from  the  pulpit  into  the  army.  Among  them 
were  a  Methodist  colonel  from  Missouri,  a 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     115 

Baptist  colonel  from  Mississippi,  and  a  Bap 
tist  captain  from  Virginia.  At  one  time 
evangelistic  services  were  held  in  a  lower 
room  of  block  No.  5,  and  a  number  of  con 
verts  confessed  Jesus  Christ  as  Lord  and 
Saviour,  and  declared  their  denominational 
preference.  Those  who  decided  to  be  Bap 
tists  were  permitted,  under  guard,  to  go  out 
to  the  shore  and  were  baptized  in  the  bay  by 
Captain  Littleberry  Allen,  of  Caroline  county, 
Virginia;  the  rest  could  find  within  the  walls 
as  much  water  as  they  considered  necessary 
for  the  ordinance. 

Block  No.  6  was  set  apart  for  a  hospital, 
into  which  a  prisoner  might  go  in  case  of  sick 
ness.  It  was  superintended  by  a  Federal 
surgeon,  but  a  large  part  of  the  prescribing 
was  done  by  Confederate  officers  who  had 
been  practicing  physicians.  The  nursing 
was  performed  by  the  patients'  more  intimate 
friends,  who  took  it  by  turns  day  and  night. 
I  have  a  sorrowful  recollection  of  sitting  up 
one  night  to  wait  on  Captain  Scates  of  West 
moreland  county,  and  to  administer  the  med- 


u6     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

icines  prescribed  by  the  doctors.  The  ward 
was  silent  save  for  occasional  groans,  the 
lights  were  burning  dimly,  and  there  was  no 
companion  watching  with  me.  About  mid 
night  the  emaciated  sufferer  died,  passing 
away  as  quietly  as  when  one  falls  into  healthy 
slumbers.  I  closed  his  eyes  and  remained 
near  the  body  until  the  grateful  dawn  of 
morning.  Guarded  by  soldiers  we  went  to 
the  cemetery  without  the  walls,  and  commit 
ted  the  body  to  the  ground,  far  away  from  his 
family  and  native  land. 

Nearly  all  the  men  confined  on  Johnson's 
Island  were  officers,  of  every  rank  from  lieu 
tenant  to  major-general,  and  numbering  about 
twenty-six  hundred.  They  represented  all 
parts  of  the  South  and  nearly  every  occupa 
tion,  whether  manual  or  professional.  They 
were  men  of  refinement, — ingenious,  daring; 
and  they  were  enclosed  in  this  prison  because 
it  was  secured  no  less  by  an  armed  guard  than 
by  the  surrounding  water. 

Every  man  was  trying  to  devise  some 
method  of  escape,  but  only  a  few  succeeded, 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     117 

not  only  because  the  difficulty  was  great,  but 
also  because  there  were  spies  among  us. 
Three  men  tunneled  out  from  Block  No.  i, 
only  to  find  themselves  surrounded  by  Yan 
kee  soldiers.  Captain  Cole,  a  portly  man, 
became  jammed  in  the  passage,  and  was  some 
what  like  Abe  Lincoln's  ox  that  was  caught 
and  held  on  a  fence,  unable  to  kick  one  way 
or  gore  the  other.  The  incident  furnished 
the  theme  of  another  minstrel  song,  with  the 
chorus,  "If  you  belong  to  Gideon's  band." 

I  had  a  secret  agreement  with  Captain  John 
Stakes,  of  the  4Oth  Virginia,  that  if  either 
saw  a  way  of  escape  he  would  let  the  other 
know.  Many  a  time  with  longing  eyes  we 
looked  upon  a  sloop  that  used  to  tie  up  for 
the  night  at  a  wharf  near  the  island.  If  we 
only  could  get  to  it!  And  so  we  began  a 
tunnel  under  block  No.  9,  but  finding  that 
our  labors  were  discovered  by  a  spy,  we  were 
constrained  to  desist. 

Two  men  filed  saw  teeth  on  the  backs  of 
case  knives,  and  on  a  rainy,  dark,  and  windy 
night  they  crawled  down  a  ditch  to  the  wall 


ii8     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

on  the  bay  shore,  and  cut  their  way  out;  but 
they  were  captured  and  brought  back. 

There  were  a  few  successful  escapes.  One 
man,  smarter  than  the  rest  of  us,  when  we 
went  to  a  vessel  to  fill  our  ticks  with  straw 
concealed  himself  under  what  remained  in 
the  hold  and  was  carried  back  to  Sandusky, 
whence  he  wended  his  stealthy  flight.  Colonel 
B.  L.  Farinholt,  of  Virginia,  got  away  in  a 
very  artful  manner,  an  account  of  which  has 
been  published.  In  January,  1865,  when  the 
thermometer  registered  15°  below  zero  and 
an  arctic  northwest  wind  was  blowing  furi 
ously  Captain  Stakes  took  me  aside  and  told 
me  in  whispers  that  he  and  five  others  were 
going  out  that  night,  and  that  they  had  agreed 
that  I  might  go  with  them.  I  answered  that 
if  the  Yankees  were  to  throw  open  all  the 
gates  and  grant  permission,  I  would  not  in 
my  feeble  health  and  with  clothes  so  insuffi 
cient,  depart  in  such  bitter  weather.  When 
the  hour  came  those  six  men  rushed  to  the 
wall,  and  setting  up  against  it  a  bench,  on 
which  rungs  had  been  nailed,  climbed  over. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     119 

They  were  not  shot  at,  perhaps  because  the 
sentries,  not  expecting  such  an  attempt,  had 
taken  refuge  from  the  cold  in  their  boxes. 
On  the  thick  ice  that  begirt  the  island  they 
crossed  over  on  the  north  side  and  gained  the 
mainland.  Captain  Robinson,  of  Westmore 
land,  and  three  others  with  him,  hiding  in 
the  daytime  and  traveling  at  night,  after 
enduring  many  hardships  arrived  in  Canada, 
where  they  were  clothed  and  fed  and  supplied 
with  money.  Taking  shipping  at  Halifax, 
they  ran  the  blockade  and  landed  in  Wilming 
ton,  North  Carolina.  One  of  the  six  men 
was  recaptured  by  a  detective  on  a  train  in 
New  York.  My  friend  Stakes  was  over 
taken  the  next  morning  and  brought  back  so 
badly  frostbitten  that  it  became  necessary  to 
amputate  parts  of  some  of  his  fingers. 

By  some  means,  I  know  not  how,  informa 
tion  was  received  in  the  prison  that  certain 
agents  of  the  Confederate  government  in 
Canada  would  come  to  the  island  in  steam 
boats  captured  on  Lake  Erie  to  release  the 
prisoners.  It  was  agreed  that  when  they  ap- 


120     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

proached  and  blew  a  horn  the  prisoners 
would  storm  the  walls  and  overpower  the 
guards.  We,  therefore,  organized  ourselves 
into  companies  and  regiments  and  waited 
anxiously  for  the  sight  of  the  boats  and  the 
sound  of  the  horn.  Though  we  had  no  arms, 
except  such  as  the  rage  of  the  moment  might 
supply,  and  did  not  doubt  that  some  of  us 
would  be  killed,  we  were  ready  to  fulfil  our 
part  of  the  desperate  contract;  and  we  felt  no 
doubt  of  success,  for  the  Hoffman  Battalion 
that  composed  our  guard  had  never  been  in 
battle  nor  heard  the  rebel  yell.  The  expected 
rescuers  never  came.  There  must  have  been 
some  real  foundation  for  the  proposed  move 
ment,  for  very  soon  the  guard  was  reinforced 
by  a  veteran  brigade,  and  the  gunboat  Michi 
gan  came  and  anchored  near  the  island  and 
showed  her  threatening  portholes. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

'Mid  pleasures  and  palaces  though  we  may  roam, 
Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there's  no  place  like  home; 
A  charm  from  the  skies  seems  to  hallow  us  there, 
Which  seek  through  the  world,  is  ne'er  met  with  elsewhere. 

— PAYNE. 

IF   one    longs    for   home   while    roaming 
amidst  pleasures  and  palaces,  how  much 
more  intense,  suppose  you,  must  be  the 
nostalgia  of  the  soldier  confined  in  a  far  dis 
tant  prison? 

March  14,  1865,  was  one  of  the  happiest 
days  of  my  life.  After  a  captivity  of  twenty 
months,  I  was  led  out  of  the  prison  with  the 
three  hundred  others,  conducted  to  a  steam 
boat,  and  homeward  bound  transported  to 
Sandusky.  The  thick  ice  that  for  three 
months  had  covered  the  bay  was  floating  in 
broken  pieces  on  the  surface,  through  which 
the  boat  struggled  with  so  much  difficulty  that 
I  feared  it  would  be  necessary  to  put  back  to 


121 


122     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

the  island;  but  the  trip  was  made  at  the  ex 
pense  of  some  broken  paddles.  Why  we  were 
selected  rather  than  our  less  fortunate  com 
patriots  I  cannot  guess,  unless  it  was  to  save 
the  annoyance  and  the  expense  of  burial,  for 
some  of  our  party  had  been  wounded,  others 
as  well  as  myself,  had  recently  recovered  from 
serious  sickness,  and  all  were  adjudged  to  be 
unfit  for  military  service;  or  perhaps  there 
was  the  same  number  in  Southern  prisons  that 
for  special  reasons  the  Federal  War  Office  de 
sired  to  have  exchanged. 

The  train  that  was  to  convey  us  southward 
was  made  up  of  box-cars,  upon  the  floors  of 
which  there  was  a  thin  covering  of  straw. 
We  were  so  crowded  that  we  all  could  not  lie 
down  at  the  same  time.  The  sleepers  lay  with 
their  heads  at  the  sides  of  the  cars,  while  their 
legs  interlaced  in  the  middle.  We  took  the 
situation  in  good  humor,  and  slept  by  turns, 
those  who  could  not  find  room  standing 
amidst  entangled  legs  and  feet.  Thus  we 
traveled  several  days  and  nights,  our  train  be 
ing  frequently  switched  for  the  passage  of 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     123 

regular  trains.  Our  route  was  by  Bellaire  to 
Baltimore,  or  rather  to  Locust  Point,  where 
we  took  passage  on  a  steamboat  for  James 
river.  Having  landed  the  next  day,  we 
walked  across  a  neck  of  land  formed  by  a  bend 
of  the  river  to  the  wharf  where  a  boat  from 
Richmond  was  expected  to  meet  us.  A  com 
pany  of  negroes  made  a  show  of  conducting 
us  across  the  neck,  though  a  company  of  chil 
dren  armed  with  cornstalks  would  have  been 
equally  efficient. 

We  had  not  long  to  wait  until  the  smoke 
stack  of  the  Confederate  steamboat  could  be 
seen  winding  along  as  she  tracked  the  serpen 
tine  course  of  the  river.  As  she  neared  the 
wharf  the  band  on  board  struck  up  that  sweet 
est  of  tunes, — "Home,  Sweet  Home."  Some 
of  my  companions  laughed,  some  threw  their 
caps  into  the  air,  others  hurrahed,  while  my 
own  emotions  were  expressed  only  by  tears  of 
joy  that  coursed  down  my  cheeks.  When, 
however,  the  music  glided  into  the  exhilarat 
ing  notes  of  "Dixie"  I  joined  in  the  cheering 
that  mingled  with  the  strain. 


i24     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

We  arrived  in  Richmond  on  the  22d  of 
March,  the  eighth  day  after  we  had  started. 
I  was  pained  to  notice  in  the  city  so  many 
signs  of  delapidation  and  poverty,  and  to  learn 
that  Confederate  money  had  depreciated  to 
the  point  of  sixty  for  one.  The  captain's 
salary  that  the  government  owed  me  for  two 
years  was  worth  only  about  fifty  dollars  in 
specie,  which  a  friend  in  the  treasury  depart 
ment  advised  me  to  collect  at  once,  inasmuch 
as  he  thought  that  the  capital  would  be  soon 
evacuated.  I  took  him  for  a  timorous 
prophet,  and  told  him  I  would  wait  until  I 
rejoined  the  army,  when  I  should  need  it.  I 
did  not  know,  as  he  did,  the  impoverished  and 
critical  condition  of  the  Confederacy. 

I  was  not  exchanged,  but  "paroled  for 
thirty  days  unless  sooner  exchanged."  I  set 
out  for  the  Northern  Neck  in  company  with 
Lieutenant  Purcell,  of  Richmond  county,  and 
Captain  Stakes,  of  Northumberland.  We 
rode  on  a  train  as  far  as  Hanover  and  then 
struck  out  afoot  across  the  country.  Not 
withstanding  the  fact  that  one  of  my  compan- 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     125 

ions  limped  on  a  leg  that  had  been  wounded 
at  Gettysburg  and  the  other  was  a  little  lame 
from  frosted  toes,  it  taxed  all  my  powers  to 
keep  up  with  them.  If  I  had  rejoiced  to  see 
the  James,  I  was  happier  still  to  set  foot  once 
more  upon  the  bank  of  the  Rappahannock. 
When  we  had  crossed  over  we  went  to  the 
home  of  Lieutenant  Purcell,  where  we  spent 
the  night,  and  the  next  day,  Monday,  March 
27,  I  arrived  at  home.  I  supposed  that  I 
should  take  them  by  surprise,  but  somehow 
they  had  received  intelligence  of  my  coming; 
and  as  I  approached  the  house  I  found  them 
all  lined  up  in  the  yard,  white  and  black. 
"And  they  began  to  be  merry." 

I  found  John  in  the  stable,  having  been 
ridden  home  by  my  faithful  man,  Charles 
Wesley,  who  supposed  that  he  had  left  me 
dead  at  Falling  Waters. 

On  the  1 4th  of  April,  Good  Friday,  when 
I  was  thinking  of  returning  to  Richmond  to 
inquire  whether  I  had  been  exchanged  and 
was  still  hoping  for  the  independence  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  I  attended  religious 


i26     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

services  at  a  church  in  the  neighborhood. 
When  these  had  been  concluded  and  the  con 
gregation  were  talking  as  usual  in  the  yard 
a  messenger  arrived  with  a  newspaper,  which 
the  Yankees  had  sent  ashore  from  one  of  their 
gunboats,  and  which  contained  the  details  of 
General  Lee's  surrender  of  his  army  five 
days  previously  at  Appomattox.  My  heart 
sank  within  me.  My  fondest  hopes  were 
crushed.  The  cause  for  which  I  had  so  often 
exposed  my  life,  and  for  which  so  many  of  my 
friends  had  died,  had  sunk  into  the  gloomy 
night  of  defeat. 

I  was  thankful  that  out  of  the  horrid  con 
flict  I  had  escaped  with  my  life,  a  gray  coat, 
and  a  silver  quarter  of  a  dollar.  Although 
I  had  participated  in  all  the  battles  that  were 
fought  by  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  I 
was  never  seriously  hurt.  At  Manassas  one 
bullet  struck  my  leg,  and  another  forcibly 
wrenched  my  sword  from  my  hand.  At 
Chancellorsville  a  bomb  exploded  just  in  front 
of  me,  making  a  hole  in  the  ground  and  cov 
ering  me  with  dirt,  the  pieces  flying  away  with 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     127 

discordant  noises.  Countless  balls  whizzed 
by  my  ears,  and  men  fell  all  around  me,  some 
of  them  while  touching  my  side.  Am  I  not 
justified  in  appropriating  the  words  of  David 
addressed  to  Jehovah,  "Thou  hast  covered  my 
head  in  the  day  of  battle?" 

Withdrawal  from  the  Union  was  the  right 
of  the  Southern  States,  as  appears  from  the 
history  of  the  making  and  adoption  of  the 
federal  constitution;  and  great  was  the  provo 
cation  to  use  it.  It  is  not,  however,  always 
wise, — either  for  persons  or  communities, — 
to  exercise  their  rights.  Secession  in  the  year 
1860  was  a  hot  headed  and  stupendous  political 
blunder, — a  blunder  recognized  by  the  major 
ity  of  the  people  of  Virginia,  who  refused  to 
follow  the  example  of  her  southern  sisters  un 
til  there  was  forced  upon  her  the  cruel  alterna 
tive  of  waging  war  either  against  them  or 
against  the  States  of  the  North. 

Though  secession  was  a  grevious  error, 
nevertheless  the  war  that  was  waged  by  the 
Federal  Government  was  a  crime  against  the 
constitution,  humanity,  and  God.  But  now, 


i28     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

as  we  view  the  present  and  retrospect  the 
past,  who  may  say  that  all  has  not  turned  out 
for  the  best?  We  find  consolation  in  the  be 
lief  that  the  Lord's  hand  has  shaped  our 
destiny,  and  we  meekly  submit  to  his  overrul 
ing  providence. 

"If  it  were  done,  when  'tis  done,  then  'twere  well 
It  were  done  quickly." 

But  the  war,  like  Duncan's  murder,  was  not 
done  after  it  was  done.  There  supervened 
the  unnecessary,  vindictive,  and  malignant  re 
construction  acts  of  the  Federal  Congress. 

On  the  1 4th  of  April,  only  nine  days  after 
Lee  had  surrendered,  a  great  calamity  befell 
the  South  in  the  foolish  and  infamous  assas 
sination  of  President  Lincoln,  who  was  the 
only  man  who  could  have  restrained  the  rage 
of  such  men  as  Sumner  in  the  Senate  and 
Stephens  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 
The  hatred  of  the  Northern  politicians  was 
intensified  by  the  supposition  that  his  death 
was  instigated  by  Southern  men,  and  it  did 
not  abate  even  after  they  were  convinced  that 
the  supposition  was  unfounded. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     129 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  while  the  war  was 
in  progress  the  acts  of  secession  were  consid 
ered  null  and  void,  and  the  Southern  States 
were  declared  to  be  parts  of  an  indissoluble 
union,  but  when  the  war  had  ended  they  were 
dealt  with  as  alien  commonwealths  and  con 
quered  territories.  For  four  years  Virginia 
was  not  a  co-equal  State  in  the  Union  but 
"Military  District  No.  i,"  governed  by  a 
Federal  general,  who  appointed  the  local 
officers  in  the  several  counties.  The  affairs  of 
the  State  were  managed  by  carpetbaggers  in 
close  agreement  with  despicable  scalawags 
and  ignorant  negroes.  The  elective  franchise 
was  granted  to  the  emancipated  slaves  regard 
less  of  character  or  intelligence,  while  it  was 
denied  to  many  white  men.  In  Lancaster 
county  the  negroes  had  a  registered  majority 
of  a  hundred  voters;  it  was  represented  in  a 
constitutional  convention  by  a  carpetbagger, 
and  after  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  it 
was  represerted  in  the  Legislature  by  a  negro. 
To  injury  \vere  added  hatred  and  insult. 
It  was  not  enough  that  the  South  was  con- 


i3o     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

quered,   it  must   be  humiliated  by  African 
domination! 

The  Southern  people  did  not  go  to  war — 
war  came  to  them.  Not  to  gain  military 
glory  did  they  fight,  although  this  meed  must 
be  awarded  to  them.  Nor  was  the  perpetua 
tion  of  African  slavery  the  object  for  which 
they  took  up  arms,  for  in  Virginia  nineteen- 
twentieths  of  the  citizens  owned  no  slaves,  and 
there  was  perhaps  the  same  proportion  in  the 
other  States  of  the  Confederacy.  Neither 
was  it  for  conquest  that  they  so  long  waged 
the  unequal  contest;  for  though  they  twice 
crossed  the  Potomac  it  was  not  to  gain  an  acre 
of  territory,  but  only  to  relieve  their  own 
beleaguered  capital.  From  first  to  last  it  was 
a  purely  defensive  struggle  to  maintain  for 
themselves  the  freedom  they  cheerfully  ac 
corded  to  other  communities,  and  to  make 
good  the  inherited  belief  that  "'all  just  gov 
ernment  derives  its  power  from  the  consent 
of  the  governed."  They  simply  resisted  sub 
jugation  by  a  hostile  government  whose  right 
to  rule  them  they  denied. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     131 

As  we  review  the  history  of  that  gigantic 
struggle  we  are  not  surprised  that  the  South 
was  subdued,  the  only  wonder  being  that  it 
was  not  sooner  done.  It  required  two  and  a 
quarter  millions  of  soldiers  four  years  to  over 
come  one-third  of  that  number.  The  South 
had  no  navy  to  open  her  ports,  no  commerce 
for  her  products,  no  foundries  for  the  manu 
facture  of  arms.  During  the  first  year  there 
were  not  muskets  enough  to  supply  her  vol 
unteers,  though  later  on  sufficient  numbers 
were  taken  on  the  fields  of  battles,  fifty-two 
cannon  and  thirty  thousand  small  arms  being 
captured  in  the  battles  around  Richmond,  be 
sides  the  many  thousands  that  were  taken  in 
subsequent  engagements. 

That  the  South  for  so  long  a  time  resisted 
the  attempts  of  her  powerful  enemy,  and  dur 
ing  that  period  gained  so  many  remarkable 
victories,  is  attributable  to  the  skill  of  her  gen 
erals  and  the  valor  of  her  soldiers.  In  these 
respects  only  was  the  advantage  on  her  side. 

The  fame  of  her  generals  has  spread 
throughout  the  world,  and  their  campaigns 


i3a     REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL 

enrich  the  text-books  of  the  military  students 
of  Europe  and  Asia.  They  rank  with  the 
most  famous  commanders  that  ever  led  armies 
to  victory.  Their  names  are  immortal,  and 
their  memory  is  enshrined  not  only  in  poetry 
and  history,  in  marble  and  bronze,  but  also  in 
the  admiration  of  mankind  and  in  the  affec 
tions  of  the  Southern  people. 

But  what  could  strategy  have  achieved  un 
less  there  had  been  soldiers  to  make  it  effec 
tive?  The  men  had  confidence  in  their  com 
manders  and  were  responsive  to  their  genius. 
In  attack  they  exhibited  impulsive  courage, 
and  in  defense  possessed  unyielding  firmness. 
They  made  days  and  places  forever  historic, 
when  their  pay  was  money  in  little  more  than 
name,  their  garments  torn,  their  rations  coarse 
and  scant.  Footsore  they  charged  against  the 
dense  Blue  lines,  or  made  those  rapid  marches 
that  bewildered  opposing  forces. 

When  the  end  had  come  both  officers  and 
men  surrendered  as  they  had  fought, — with 
out  mental  reservation.  Sadly  they  furled 
and  yielded  up  the  bullet-riddled  battleflags 


REMINISCENCES  OF  A  REBEL     133 

they  had  carried  so  proudly.  Now  while  they 
manfully  accept  the  hard  arbitrament  of  war, 
and  yield  unaffected  loyalty  to  the  United 
States,  they  make  no  confession  of  criminality. 
While  the  war  continued  they  were  asserting 
what  they  believed  was  a  God-given  right,  and 
now  they  recall  with  pride  the  valor  and  vic 
tories  of  the  Southern  armies. 

Those  armies  are  rapidly  disappearing  from 
the  land  they  loved  so  well.  Many  of  the 
men  fell  in  battle,  and  many  died  in  prisons 
and  hospitals,  and  since  the  close  of  the  war 
more  of  them  have  fallen  asleep  in  peaceful 
homes.  Those  who  have  departed  and  those 
who  survive  will  not  want  a  eulogist  while  one 
remains;  and  when  the  last  of  the  men  who 
wore  the  gray  shall  have  joined  his  comrades 
beyond  the  river  of  death,  coming  generations 
will  celebrate  their  heroism  and  scatter  flowers 
upon  the  mounds  that  mark  the  places  where 
their  ashes  repose. 


THE  END 


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